Silence Will Fall No More
by orchids117
Summary: 4th in Dimensions series! Rose and the Doctor thought they'd beaten all of the odds. They're together, and their family is finally safe. But there's a message. Three small words burnt into the very fabric of time and space that threaten to ruin their dreams of happiness. Silence will fall.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: All rights belong to the BBC.**

* * *

**Prologue.**

_The woods are lovely, dark and deep,_

_But I have promises to keep,_

_And miles to go before I sleep,_

_And miles to go before I sleep…_

**-Robert Frost**

* * *

_POV: _Rose

_Date:_ November 23, 2013

_Silence will fall._

Those words had haunted me ever since that day I had once again played a part in the destruction of Canary Wharf. They whispered in my ear during my every waking moment, and echoed through every one of my dreams.

But there were other words - new words I had not heard before that were now ghosting their way across the universe to rustle across my ears.

_No more._

I heard them everywhere; they were burnt into the very fabric of time and space. A single point in the timeline that was calling, almost reaching out for me with one grasping hand.

I had a job to do, and it was only just beginning.

Sometimes I would wonder what had happened to my family. Not the one I had now, but the one I left behind on the beach. The one I still sometimes believed had died.

Sometimes I thought knowing that I wasn't human was the ultimate curse. Knowing that, really, my mum hadn't been my mum, and that family I left on the beach wasn't really my own. Knowing that I was, indeed, alien to them now, and still alien to my Doctor and even my own children; I didn't belong anywhere. And that hurt, more than it should.

I was what came before the Time Lords, and being so close to sharing the same lineage as the Doctor without actually being able to stake that claim hurt me in ways I hadn't known were possible.

I was a species that called itself "the Quo," and most of the time I was alright with that. I could see what the Doctor saw now, the very turn of the universe. I saw was, what is, what could be, and what will inevitably come to pass. Seeing the future had a cost though. One I still wasn't sure I was willing to pay.

She stared at me from across the room, her eyes so much older than my own, and filled with a sadness I had not yet come to understand. One that part of me foolishly hoped I would never understand.

She jerked her head to the side, and I stood to follow.

"Where are you going?" Clara asked.

I glanced over at her, she was so young, but I could see it. The same love in her eyes. She knew the part she had played in his life, but as I looked down at her, I came to realize that she was unaware of the one she had played in mine.

I gave her a slight smile, letting my tongue peek out from between my teeth. "I think our boys here can handle this, there's something I need to do."

She reached out to squeeze my hand, and I could see it then, she knew. I had no idea how, but she knew what was about to happen. The fact that she knew, while I didn't, was more than a little unsettling.

"Be careful," she told me. "He needs you."

I glanced over to the negotiation table. The warrior was hanging back, a slight smile on his wrinkled face as he watched his older selves finish each other's sentences. Eleven looked over at me, and I caught the small lump that he swallowed down.

I gave him a small nod, and allowed myself one last glance at my family. I could feel my Doctor's jittery excitement, he was in his element. I couldn't steal that away now. I watched for a moment as he leaned over to whisper something in Jenny's ear, and smiled when she giggled.

Finally, I turned to go.

Mara stopped me with one hand before I could walk out of the door. "Where are you going?"

I paused, and glanced back at her. Her expression was one of worry, the deep creases under her eyes making a path all the way up to her forehead.

I sighed, and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "Don't be afraid, I'm coming back. I promise, okay? I'll be back."

She smiled slightly, and I kissed her cheek. "I love you, mum."

"Be brave, sweetheart," I whispered, and hurriedly made my way to the exit.

I didn't stop walking until I was far away from the archive, tucked away behind a building where no one else would see me.

I closed my eyes. "I'm here."

I felt it when she appeared in front of me. When I opened my eyes, she gave me a sad smile. "So you are."

"We can't stay like this for long, the paradox would be…" I shuddered.

She laughed. "I know, I know. Are you ready?"

I bit my lip, but nodded. "I am."

She gave me a serious look. "Do you know what you must do?"

I nodded. "I do."

"I can keep the timeline open for you for only so long; you will need to pass through as quickly as you can. The vortex will push you out as hard as it can in an attempt to keep you away, let it. And then get back in as quickly as you can, got it?"

"Got it," I confirmed, and closed my eyes to concentrate. Transporting myself into the vortex was becoming easier the more I tried it, and by now I was able to easily open the tear I would need to get inside.

I tensed my muscles to leave, when she stopped me. "There is one last thing."

"What?" I demanded curtly.

Her expression seemed to fall as she stared at me, and I could see hints of that ancient sadness again. "The Doctor can save you, it's true, but when he can…"

"What?" I grunted as I felt the tear trying to force itself closed again. "I don't exactly have a lot of time for riddles here."

"He's not going to _want_ to save you, Rose," she said, and pushed me into the vortex.


	2. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone! Such a long wait, I know, but I haven't had a lot of spare time and I've been really focused on the other fic I'm currently working on. Anyway, I've finally got a bit hashed out for this story, and hopefully I'll be able to get a few more chapters here soon.**

**Many thanks go out to the guest who sent me a review on the prologue. Enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter 1.**

"_The loneliest people are the kindest. _

_The saddest people smile the brightest._

_The most damaged people are the wisest._

_All because they don't want to see anyone else suffer the way they do."_

_-Anonymous._

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_POV:_ Jenny

_Date:_ May 2013

"Jen?"

Jack's voice snapped me back into focus. "Sorry?"

"I asked for a status report on the rift. We need to figure out what's causing the anomaly to pop up." Jack spoke to me slowly, carefully searching my face.

"Right," I said, and turned back to my computer screen.

"Are you alright?" Gwen asked.

I glanced up. They were all staring at me with similar looks of concern.

"I just drifted off," I said firmly, and glanced at the readings coming from the rift. "There's an unusual spike in the readings. By the looks of it I'd say it was my parents doing. It's a slight tear in the fabric of time. Nothing to worry about." I shut the window.

"Nothing to worry about?" Owen sounded incredulous. "A slight tear in the fabric of time, and you don't think there's anything to worry about?"

I shrugged. "It doesn't look like it's directly going to affect Earth in any way, so I wouldn't worry." I stood up from my computer station, and headed back towards our conference room. "Excuse me."

Gwen tried to follow me, but Jack held her back. I heard him say something to her in a low voice, but not low enough to escape my hearing range.

"Let me," he told her, "She misses them."

I swallowed, and quickly shut the door to the conference room. It was blissfully quiet in here, and I closed my eyes. I just needed to know that they were alright, and that was hard to do with a bunch of extra chatter coming from my colleagues.

I'd almost gotten ahold of them when Jack stepped into the room.

I didn't bother opening my eyes. "I'm fine," I told him.

"Uh-huh, I'm sure." His voice held a note of sarcasm that I didn't appreciate. "And that's why you ran in here to escape."

I huffed. "I'm not escaping; I'm trying to find out if they're okay. It's hard to do that when there's a lot of chatter."

Jack was quiet for a moment. "Are they?"

I sighed, and opened my eyes. I'd lost the edges of the connection. "I don't know."

* * *

_POV: _Mara

_Date: _ December 2013

I absorbed the shock of my landing through my legs—stumbling a little as the world came into focus around me.

I gasped as the cold air shocked my lungs. I shivered, and looked up at the dark clouds. I hadn't expected for it to be this cold during this time of year, and glanced down at the date I'd inputted into the vortex manipulator.

"I am my father's daughter," I muttered. The date was off by a good month.

"Miss?" A shaky voice called.

I spun around; the voice was coming from an older woman. I smiled at her sweetly. "Yes?"

"Are you…?" Her question trailed off.

"Can you tell me the date?" I asked.

Her eyes widened. "You are! You're one of them time travelers George and his friends go on about. I mean, I saw it when them aliens arrived. I was there when ol' Big Ben got smashed. I'm not thick enough to deny what I can see with me own eyes, but time travelers?"

I sighed. "Please, the date?"

"Oh, yeah, December 23, 2013."

I growled in frustration. "Danm."

"Miss?"

My eyes cut back to the woman. I sighed. "What?"

"What's it like?" Her eyes had taken on a hopeful gleam. "The future?"

A swell of sadness filled my chest, and I felt a small smile ghost across my face as I recalibrated the vortex manipulator. "Couldn't tell you even if I wanted to."

"Why not?" She asked. "Who am I going to tell?"

I laughed, and was surprised by the bitterness in that laugh. "What's your name?"

"Ruby Cribbins."

"Ruby Cribbins, didn't anyone ever tell you the future isn't set in stone?" I asked. "No matter how sure you are of your future, it's always changing. People are always making choices, and those choices constantly shape the fabric of our future." My voice was hard. "And more often than not, it's those choices that alter the future you wanted to see."

She blinked. "What?"

I stared at her confused expression. She was so innocent.

Another pang of grief filled my throat, and I gave her a small wave. "See you around, Ruby."

And I was off.

* * *

_POV:_ Rose

_Date:_ November 2013

"Queen Elizabeth?"

"Correctamundo!" The Doctor cried as he danced around the console. He stopped abruptly, and made a sour face. "Oh, Rose, don't let me say that again. I promised myself I would never use that horrid word again."

"Queen _Elizabeth_, you met her?" I demanded again, trying to bring his focus back.

"Well yeah. She shot an arrow at my head. _Well,_ she had one of her guards do it, but I feel that's beside the point. Anyway! Allons-y!"

I slapped his hand away from the console. "She shot an arrow at you, and you want to go see why? _Before_ you've met her?"

He tugged on his ear. "Well technically speaking, it's after I've met her but before she met me. See, Rose, if I don't go and meet her I'll cause a paradox. Wouldn't want one of those, would we?"

I shuddered, and closed my eyes to block out the nightmare images that tried to force themselves to the surface. I swallowed. "Fine, I see your point."

"What is it you have against our majesty anyway?"

I waved a hand. "Oh, nothing really. I'm just recalling the last time we met someone from the royal family." I raised my eyebrows. "Sir Doctor."

He winked. "Oh, but that was ages ago, Dame Rose. I'm sure we'll have better luck this time."

I rolled my eyes. "You always say that."

The Doctor grabbed me around the waist and swung me away from the console. I squealed, and he kissed my cheek. "And someday it'll be true."

I giggled as he fired up the TARDIS. He spun around the console madly as I pressed a button here and switched a lever there. I'd been a resident long enough to know my way around the console, and so our flights tended to be much smoother these days.

"Have you heard anything from Jenny lately?" I asked.

He kept his eyes on the monitor, and pressed a few extra buttons. "I'm sure she's fine."

I swallowed. "What about Mara?" He stayed quiet. "I'm worried about them, Doctor. Aren't you?"

He looked up at me, and I found my answer in his dark eyes. We stared at each other for a moment until I felt the TARDIS land.

"They're our children, Rose, I'm sure they'll be fine," he said confidently as he pulled on his overcoat.

I smiled slightly. "That's the oxymoron of the year. They're our daughters; that means they've inherited the danger magnet gene."

He spun around on his heel with a manic look in his eyes. "Speaking of danger, ready to meet her majesty, Liz?"

I raised my eyebrows. "You two are on a nickname basis? Should I be worried?"

The Doctor winked, and backed out of the TARDIS doors. "C'mon Lewis! There's investigating to do!"

I laughed, and ran after him.


	3. Chapter 2

**Hello everyone! I know this has been long awaited, so I won't bore you with a long and detailed author's note. Basically what it would say is that now that I've concluded _One May Face a World of Demons_, I'll be focusing more time into this story - yay!**

**Many heartfelt thank you's go out to enigmaticdrscully, for your lovely review. (And yes, I am absolutely a hardcore phile. I plan to write more fics for that fandom very soon.) **

**I hope you all enjoy this next chapter!**

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**Chapter 2.**

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"_Nothing is impossible. The word itself says 'I'm possible!'"_

_ -Audrey Hepburn._

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_POV:_ Rose

_Date:_ Springtime, 1562

Needless to say, our visit with her majesty wasn't going entirely as planned.

It had started off all well and good, mind you. The Doctor and I presented ourselves as dignitaries from a faraway land—Gallifrey, naturally—in search of an alliance with the Queen. Of course, after a five minute conversation with the Doctor, she was all too happy to forge an alliance and offered us a place to stay for the duration of the negotiations.

That's where things started to go wrong.

"What are you doing?" I asked the Doctor as I followed him down to the kitchens.

"Lovely day for a picnic, Rose, don't you think? I've suggested to her majesty that the three of us take a break from negotiations and spend the day in the great outdoors!" He thrust the door to the kitchen open wide and shot me his most brilliant smile. "What do you think?"

I crossed my arms. "I think it's time you tell me why we're still here."

"For the basket," he quickly explained as he swiftly swiped the object off of the counter and held it up proudly. "See?"

I rolled my eyes. "You know that's not what I meant. It's been two weeks, Doctor. How long do you think we can stay here before Queen Elizabeth discovers Gallifrey is not actually a country?"

The Doctor grabbed an apple out of his picnic basket and took a large bite. "Where's that spunky Rose Tyler I know and love? You're worrying too much."

I sighed, but took hold of the other end of the basket handle when he offered it to me. "You better be right."

* * *

_POV: _Jenny

_Date: _August 2013

My eyes hurt from the number of hours I'd forced myself to stare at one tiny computer screen.

I abruptly slammed a hand down on the keyboard and shoved myself away from the computer.

"Whoa there," Jack said as he glanced up from another station. "What did that poor console ever do to you?"

"It's been over three months since I saw that anomaly. Three months, and I still can't find them. I haven't even been able to contact them through our telepathic network." I sighed angrily, and shoved a pile of papers to the floor. "They could be in trouble! I should never have left them."

"Hey," his voice went soft as he stood up and walked around his desk to approach me. "You did what you had to do, Jen. Even if something has happened, you can't blame yourself for not being there because you had to do what was best for you. I know your parents wouldn't."

I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. "While that's a nice thought, Jack, it doesn't make this any easier. It's not mainly my parents that I'm worried about."

"Ah," he said, "I understand now."

I sighed again, and attempted to concentrate. I'd been trying to establish a connection for months, but telepathy was like any other muscle—the less you used it, the weaker it would become. My family's bond had been so sadly underused for the past few years that I could barely feel it humming at the back of my mind at all anymore.

I felt the world slowly fall away as I focused my mind inward. I could still feel _it_—the turn of the Earth beneath me, the ever-changing timelines swirling around me—but every other sense fell away until it was just me. Me and the soft lights that represented each member of my family.

It was only then that I felt a spark, and I gasped as Mara's light grew brighter. She was close, I could feel it. She was probably even in this year.

_Mara?_ I tentatively called out. I didn't expect an answer, not really. She was still so far away.

I jumped when I felt her surprise. She had _heard_ me. She must have been closer than I had thought.

I waited to see if she would reply—only noticing that I had been holding my breath when my respiratory bypass kicked in—and then…

_Jenny?_

For the first time in a long time, relief filled my hearts.

* * *

_POV: _Mara

_Date:_ August 7, 2013

I followed her spark all the way to the very heart of Torchwood—nearly crashing into her computer console when I landed.

I gasped, and had to shake off the smallest hint of nausea that accompanied this type of travel. "You'd think I'd be immune to this by now," I grumbled.

It was only then that I could feel eyes staring at me.

I spun around to find both my sister and Jack staring at me. Jack had the widest smile on his face; Jenny, however, looked less than pleased. I couldn't blame her, really. When she had left we had promised each other to check in every few months. It had been more than a year since I had last fulfilled that promise.

I waved. "Hello!"

Jack ran forward first to scoop me up into a hug. "Oh, it's so good to see you! It's been too long sweetheart!"

I grinned as I hugged him back. "Lovely to see you too, Uncle Jack." I waited until he had released me to kiss his cheek. "I missed you."

"Have you spoken to your parents lately?"

I swallowed. "No, actually. That's why I'm here—Jenny?" I raised my eyebrows as Jack stepped aside. "Have you seen or heard from them since…"

Her lips tightened. She knew what I was referring to. "Where the hell have you been?"

I blinked. "Well it's a long story, really."

She crossed her arms. "I'm a Time Lord, Mara. I've got nothing but time."

I swallowed again nervously, and pulled a desk chair over. "Then you might want to sit down."

I waited until both she and Jack had settled themselves, and then bit down on my lip as I searched for an opening to my story.

I let out a slow breath. "Okay…okay. You remember how Dad used to teach us about Gallifrey and the Time War?"

She nodded.

"And do you remember what he called the weapon that destroyed it all?"

"The Moment," she said quietly, "yes I remember, but what does this have to do with anything?"

I leaned forward. "When I left Mum and Dad's TARDIS I didn't have any destination in mind. It was my first time exploring the universe by myself, so I went wherever the wind took me. But as I traveled, I began to notice a pattern—four words written everywhere across the stars."

Jenny raised her eyebrows. "And what were they?"

"The Moment is coming."

The three of us were quiet for a long time.

"But that's…" Jack seemed at a loss for words. "That can't mean…the war is time-locked! It can't…can it?" he looked to Jenny.

She huffed. "Your guess is as good as mine."

"You've felt it, haven't you?" I asked my sister. "Something's not quite right. The balance has felt…off, somehow. Haven't you felt that?"

She pinched the bridge of her nose with both hands. "I don't know. All I do know is that I've felt as though I need to contact you and our parents for months now. There've been hundreds of anomalies showing up on the scanners—mostly small ones, mind—that I can't seem to figure out. They all come from the same location, though, which is odd."

I narrowed my eyes. "Show me."

She pushed her computer monitor towards me, and I quickly jumped up to look at it. My eyes zeroed in on the coordinates, and my hearts all but stopped.

10-0-11-00:02.

"Jenny," I croaked, "have you actually looked at these coordinates?"

"Yes!" she exclaimed with frustration evident in her tone.

"Look again," I told her, and shoved the monitor back in her direction.

She sighed, but squinted at the numbers on the screen. I saw the exact moment when they clicked into place in her head. "Oh, I'm so thick. How could I not have seen it?"

"Seen what?" Jack asked.

Jenny tapped a few keys on her computer and yanked out her sonic screwdriver. She downloaded the contents of her hard drive and jumped to her feet. "We need to find them."

"Seen what?" Jack demanded.

We both turned to him. "It's home," I said.

Jenny grabbed my hand and we closed our eyes as we concentrated. It was easier to sense them now that there were two of us, and we quickly pinpointed their position.

"Jenny, what's going on?"

My sister ran forward to kiss our uncle on the cheek as I calibrated my vortex manipulator. "Thank you. For everything."

He stared at her with a perplexed expression. "I still don't understand."

"It's Gallifrey, Jack," I said as Jenny reclaimed my hand. "The anomalies are originating from where Gallifrey used to be."

I pressed the final button as his expression became even more confused, and closed my eyes as we were hurled into the vortex.


	4. Chapter 3

**Hello folks! So, I know this chapter is going to be basically a retelling of "The Day of the Doctor", and it will be for the next couple of chapters, but it will eventually go AU once I've completed the set up. **

**Many thanks go out to enigmaticdrscully for another lovely review.**

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**Chapter 3.**

"_Maybe one day I can have a reunion with myself."_

_ -Sebastian Bach_

* * *

_POV: _Rose

_Date: _Spring, 1562

"Why didn't you tell me you thought the Queen was a Zygon?" I shouted as we ran into the woods.

The Doctor shook his device and stopped in his tracks when it made a sound. "Ding!"

"Oof." I braced my hands against his back to keep us both from crashing to the ground. "What now?"

He slowly turned around and zeroed his gaze in on a rabbit. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Oh, very clever."

I raised my eyebrows. "The rabbit?"

I felt it when his exasperation with my questions flared up. "Yes, Rose, the rabbit—it's a Zygon! They can become anything!" He turned back to the rabbit. "Whatever you've got planned, forget it. I'm the Doctor. I'm nine hundred and four years old. I'm from the planet Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterborous. I am the Oncoming Storm, the Bringer of Darkness, and you are basically just a rabbit, aren't you?"

I rolled my eyes and let out a short huff. "Done showing off yet? You know we're married, you don't have to try to impress me anymore."

He straightened up and flashed me a cocky grin. "Yeah, but it's just oh so fun."

I giggled, and reached out to take his hand. "You're so daft." I stood up on my toes to kiss him.

"Doctor!"

We broke apart. "That would be the Queen."

I sighed, but ran after him.

We tore our way through the woods until we came to a clearing. "Elizabeth!" the Doctor shouted when we stumbled over her lying on the ground.

I immediately dropped to my knees to check on her. "Are you alright your majesty?"

She blinked, and sat up. "That thing!" She exclaimed. "Explain what it is. What does it want of us?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out," I told her reassuringly.

"Probably just your planet," the Doctor said.

"Oi!" I jabbed his shin with my elbow.

"Ouch, Rose!"

"Doctor, Rose!"

All three of us looked over to where a second Queen Elizabeth was entering the clearing.

"Step away from her. That's not me; that's the creature," the other Elizabeth said with a smug look on her face.

I reached back for the Doctor's hand and gave him a look. _"How are we going to get out of this one?"_

He looked between the two Elizabeths. _"Can you tell which on is the real one?"_

I snorted. _"I can travel through time and space, Doctor, not read minds."_

"_Right."_

"How is that possible?" the Elizabeth closest to us demanded. "She's me. She's me!"

The Doctor dropped my hand to use his device to scan both of the Elizabeths and I pulled out my own screwdriver. I felt a giddy rush bubble up in my stomach when I waved it across the two of them. I had only recently built the device with the assistance of the Doctor—this would be its first field test.

"I am indeed me. A compliment that cannot be extended to yourself," the second Elizabeth said.

"Extraordinary," the Elizabeth next to me remarked. "The creature has captured my exact likeness. This is exceptional."

I checked my screwdriver, and grumbled with frustration when the results only showed the word "Banana." I blamed the Doctor for the defect.

"Exceptional?" the second Elizabeth asked. "A Queen would call it impertinent."

The other Elizabeth raised her chin proudly. "A Queen would feel compelled to admire the skill of the execution, before arranging one."

I held up a hand. "Oi, now that's enough flirting from the pair of yah!" I turned to the Doctor. "So which one's the real one?"

He shook his device. "It's not working."

"One might surmise that the creature would learn quickly to protect itself from any simple means of detection," the Elizabeth closest to us said.

"She's right," I admitted. "So what do we do?"

I felt the anomaly coming in the pit of my stomach before it appeared. The Doctor's eyes shot up when the tear opened just above our heads.

"Back, all of you now!" He cried, and wrapped an arm around my chest to yank me away from the anomaly. "That's a time fissure—a tear in the fabric of reality. Anything could happen!"

I all three of our hearts pounding as something fell from the fissure and tumbled across the ground to land at our feet.

"Is that…" I narrowed my eyes. "Is that a fez?"

* * *

_POV: Jenny_

_Date: November 23, 2013_

One could never say that Vortex Manipulators were the most reliable means of travel.

"Doctor!" I heard someone cry as Mara and I rolled across the floor.

The two of us cried out when sharp bits of what felt like glass crunched under us.

"Ow," Mara grumbled, and we slowly sat up.

I coughed, and froze when my eyes met with two other pairs. The people were not what caught my attention, however. What caught my attention was the large anomaly in the middle of the room. "Oh. That can't be good."

"What are you two doing here?" One of the people—a woman with dark hair and brown eyes—demanded.

I blinked as she stepped forward to help both of us up. "We've met?"

She sighed. "Right, time travel. Yes, I'm Clara Oswald, your dad's companion. And this is Kate Stewart, a friend."

"Kate!" Mara cried. "Long time no see."

The other woman—a blonde—narrowed her eyes. "We've met?"

My sister sighed. "I hate time travel."

"Right," I said, "well I'm Jenny, the older daughter, pleased to meet you. Mind telling us where our parents are?"

"Thanks for that one mate."

Mara and I snapped our eyes to the anomaly when we heard our dad's voice. "Dad?"

"Jenny? Mara? Is that you?" Our mum's voice called.

Mara laughed, and I felt her hearts singing with joy. "Mum!"

"Yeah, it's us!" I cried out happily.

Clara turned to us with her eyebrows crinkled along her forehead. "Mum?"

"Clara, can you hear me?" another voice called.

Our dad's newest companion turned to the anomaly. "Yeah, it's me. We can hear you. Where are you?"

"Where are we?" the voice asked.

"England, 1562," our Dad answered.

"Who are you talking to?" Clara asked.

"Myself!" Both voices called.

Mara glanced at me, and we both rolled our eyes. Something like this was just so typical. I wondered how our mother was handling it.

"Can you come back through?" the woman named Kate interjected.

"Physical passage may not be possible in both directions. Its…ah! Hang on. Fez incoming!"

We waited, but nothing came through.

Mara snorted. "Well that was anticlimactic."

"His love for theatrics never changes, does it?" I asked Clara.

A smile crept across her face, and she shook her head before turning back to the anomaly. "Nothing here."

There was a beat of silence.

"So where did it go then?" Our mum asked.

Clara glanced at us. "So wait. Did he say he was talking to himself?"

I nodded while never taking my eyes off of the anomaly. "Something like this was bound to happen sooner or later." I pulled out my sonic and made a quick scan.

Mara sighed. "It was inevitable, really. I only wonder how far ahead this other one is."

"Eleven," Kate said. "Now, if you'll all excuse me, I have a phone call to make."

"Really? Not far then," I said as she turned to leave the room.

"I don't understand," Clara said, "how did you two get here?"

Mara waved off her question. "It was a mix up with the Vortex Manipulator."

"I'm just glad it brought us anywhere close to them," I said and looked at my sonic's readings. "I think they're doing something to the polarity of the anomaly."

Mara glanced at her own screwdriver. "Something's trying to pass through it. And if this reading is correct…" her eyes widened.

"What?" I demanded.

Clara tried to get a look at the readings we were studying. "Mara, what is it?"

"Anyone lose a fez?" a gravelly voice asked.


	5. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! So, I've decided that from now on Friday will be the regular update day, but since I won't have time I'm going to give you all this a day early. Please enjoy. :)**

* * *

**Chapter 4.**

"_Travel far enough, you meet yourself."_

_ -David Mitchell_

* * *

_POV: _Rose

_Date:_ Spring, 1562

The Doctor leaned down to get a closer look at the object that had just come through the anomaly above us. "Yes, I believe it is."

"Geronimo!" A voice called, and seconds later a large man with floppy brown hair and a purple tweed suit tumbled through the fissure to the ground. "Oof!" The fissure closed as he attempted to stand.

There was absolutely no mistaking who this man was.

I suppressed a smile as my Doctor placed the fez on his head and stood to face the newcomer.

"Who is this man?" the Elizabeth beside me demanded.

"That's just what I was wondering," my Doctor said.

I snorted. "As if you don't know."

The other Doctor looked at my Doctor and twisted about on his heels. "Oh, that is skinny. That is proper skinny. I've never seen it from the outside—it's like a special effect!" He reached out and knocked the fez off of my Doctor's head.

I giggled.

"Oi!" My Doctor cried.

"Ha! Matchstick man."

"Wait for it…" I mumbled.

My Doctor's eyes widened. "You're not."

"And there it is," I said.

"What in heaven's name is going on?" the Elizabeth beside me asked.

I chuckled. "A midlife crises."

"A what?"

I had to hide my snort when my Doctor turned up the setting on his screwdriver to try to match the size of the other Doctor's sonic.

The other Doctor shot him a look.

"Compensating," my Doctor explained.

"For what?"

"Regeneration. It's a lottery."

The other Doctor scoffed. "Oh, he's cool. Isn't he cool? I'm the Doctor and I'm all cool. Oops, I'm wearing sandshoes!" He pointed towards my Doctor's trainers.

I had to place a hand over my mouth to hide my snicker when I felt my Doctor's pride being wounded. He was particularly proud of his fashion sense—_especially _the shoes.

"What are you doing here? I'm busy," my Doctor hissed.

The other Doctor snorted. "Oh, busy. I see. Is that what we're—"

He cut off when our eyes met.

"You," he said breathily.

My heart fluttered with surprise. That was not the reaction I was expecting. I looked to my Doctor, and I didn't need the empathic connection to feel the anxiety rolling off of him in waves.

I honed in on my time senses to attempt to figure out if I was still with the Doctor by the time this latest model showed up, but there was something blocking me. It was like a brick wall had been built between me and him, and it left me with goosebumps on my flesh.

As quickly as the other Doctor had allowed his reaction to my presence to show, it was gone. He flipped the fez up onto his head and bowed to the two Elizabeths now on either side of me. "Hello, ladies," he said with a sweeping bow.

My Doctor's eyes broke away from me to his older version, but I could still feel all of the fear he was projecting in my direction. "Don't start."

"The Queen ay?" the other Doctor asked. "Have you figured out why she hated us yet? Is it because she's jealous of Rose?"

My Doctor rolled his eyes. "One of them is a Zygon."

The other Doctor's expression turned into one of disgust. "Urgh, stick with Rose then."

"Oi!" I called out. "You best watch what you're saying mate."

The two of them spun around when the time fissure started to reopen, and I raised my eyebrows when they both whipped on their glasses.

"Oh lovely," they said as they pointed at each other.

I rolled my eyes. "Egotistical Time Lords."

"_I heard that,"_ my Doctor said irritably.

"Your Majesties. Probably a good time to run," the older Doctor said.

"You too, Rose," my Doctor said.

I let out a laugh. "Fat chance."

"But what about the creature?" the Elizabeths asked together.

I shivered when the memory of a train and a planet of crystals came to mind, and forced it down. This was no time for that.

My Doctor flipped around to face us. "Elizabeth, whichever one of you is the real one, turn and run in the opposite direction to the other one."

"A good strategy!" One of the Elizabeths said, "let us finish our negotiations for an alliance of our two peoples when this situation has been resolved!"

"Yes," the other one agreed as she ran in the opposite direction. "You would certainly be a valuable ally to have!"

"Thanks," my Doctor said. "You know, she really is quite lovely."

"Oi," I said, "watch it."

"One of those was a Zygon?" the Older Doctor asked.

"Yeah."

"Big red rubbery thing covered in suckers."

"Yeah."

The older Doctor glanced back at me. "You made the right choice."

"Married!" I shouted.

"Thanks for that one mate," my Doctor grumbled.

"Dad?" two voices—two very familiar voices that set my heart beating with hope—called through the fissure.

"Jenny? Mara? Is that you?" I asked.

My Doctor's eyes shot to mine, and I could feel my hope reflected in him.

I heard Mara laugh, and it filled my heart with joy. "Mum!"

"Yeah, it's us!" Jenny cried out.

I felt a smile spread across my face, and I ran forward to take my Doctor's hand. I wanted to ask so many questions—like how it was even possible that the two of them were there—but the other Doctor started speaking before I could even open my mouth.

"Clara, can you hear me?" he asked.

My eyes narrowed; who was Clara? I felt my Doctor nudge my arm with his elbow. _"Stop it."_

"Yeah, it's me. We can hear you. Where are you?"

"Where are we?" the older Doctor asked.

"England, 1562," my Doctor answered.

"Who are you talking to?" Clara asked.

"Myself!" Both of my Doctors cried.

I chuckled. This whole situation was too surreal to be possible. Although at this point, I didn't really believe anything was impossible with the Doctor anymore.

"Can you come back through?" another woman's voice asked.

"Who's that?" I demanded.

"That's Kate Stewart. He'll explain," the older Doctor said with a wave of his hand. "Physical passage may not be possible in both directions."

I raised my eyebrows and looked to my Doctor. "Kate Stewart?"

He cleared his throat. "Her father was an old friend."

The other Doctor was looking around for something to throw back through the fissure. "Its…ah! Hang on. Fez incoming!"

He tossed the hat through, and we waited.

"Well that was anticlimactic," Mara said after a beat of silence.

"Nothing here," Clara said.

The three of us shared a perplexed look.

"So where did it go then?" I asked.

My Doctor crossed his arms and studied the anomaly. "Okay, you used to be me; you've done all this before. What happens next?"

The other Doctor looked frustrated. "I don't remember."

I felt my Doctor's indignant shock. "How can you forget this?" he asked while gesturing to his face.

"Hey, hang on. It's not my fault. You're obviously not paying enough attention. Reverse the polarity!"

I smirked when they both whipped out their screwdrivers in a nearly identical motion and set them on the anomaly. It was good to know that some things never changed.

"It's not working," the older Doctor commented.

"You're—"

"Rose, please, we can figure this out," my Doctor said.

I raised my eyebrows, crossed my arms, and waited.

They continued to try to reverse the polarity of the fissure together and couldn't figure out why it wasn't working. Finally, I sighed. "You're both reversing the polarity."

"Yes, we know that," the older Doctor said.

"There's two of you," I supplied patiently, "both reversing the polarity."

I saw it when it dawned on their faces, and smiled when my Doctor blushed. "Right."

The three of us squinted when the fissure flashed, and my eyes widened when another figure dropped through it to the ground.

I felt it when my Doctor's hearts momentarily stopped at the sight of the man dusting himself off in front of us. My eyes snapped to his face when I felt a whirlwind of emotions come from him all in one burst—anger, hatred, and…self-loathing?

I stepped back in shock when he suddenly muted our link. My eyes turned to the newcomer—what could he represent that would elicit such a strong reaction from the Doctor? More importantly, why would he want to hide that reaction from me?

"Anyone lose a fez?" the newcomer asked.

"You," my Doctor rasped. "How can you be here? More to the point, why are you here?"

"Who is he?" I asked, but both of them ignored me.

"Mum?" Jenny's voice came through the fissure. "What's going on?"

"Good afternoon," the newcomer said, "I'm looking for the Doctor."

It was then that I knew.

My eyes flicked over to my Doctor. Why would a version of himself cause such a strong sense of hatred? I knew the Doctor despised himself for the choices he'd made during the Time War before I'd met him, but…

And that's when it clicked.

"Well," my Doctor said in answer to the other Doctor's statement, "you've certainly come to the right place."

"Good," the younger Doctor stepped forward. "Right. Well, who are you boys? And…" he trailed off when his eyes landed on me, and all of the color drained from his face.

"Rose Tyler," I said when he remained frozen. "I'm uh…I'm a friend."

He seemed to shake off whatever had come over him to take my extended hand. "Right. Oh, of course! Are you lot his companions?"

"His companions?" the older Doctor asked indignantly.

"They get younger all the time," the younger Doctor said with a chuckle. "Well, if you could point me in the general direction of the Doctor…?"

I bit my lip to suppress my smile as first one, and then the other Doctor lifted their screwdrivers.

The younger Doctor looked at me. "Really?"

I grinned. "Yeah, really. Not me though, if you're wondering."

He glanced at the older Doctor. "Even that one?"

"Yes!" the older one cried out, and I had to fight down another giggle when his voice raised two octaves.

"You're my future selves?"

"Yes!" Both of my Doctors shouted.

The younger Doctor turned to me. "Am I having a midlife crisis?"

I bit my lip. "You could say that."

"Rose!" My Doctor shouted.

"Oi!" the older one cried.

"Why are you pointing your screwdrivers like that? They're scientific instruments, not water pistols!"

I chuckled when both of my Doctors slowly lowered their Sonics, but I quickly grew somber when I felt my Doctor's wariness flare up.

"Why do they look like they've seen a ghost?" the younger Doctor asked me.

In what I could only describe as a classic Doctor deflection, my Doctor straightened himself up. "Still, loving the posh gravelly thing. It's very convincing."

"Brave words, Dick van Dyke," the older Doctor said with a chuckle.

"Doctor!" I pointed towards the soldiers headed our way.

Both Doctors moved closer to me and pointed their screwdrivers at the oncoming threat. I pulled my own out and did the same.

"Oh, not you too," the younger Doctor grumbled.

I grinned. "Afraid so."

"Mum, what's going on?" Mara demanded.

"Encircle them!" the leader of the group ordered. "Rose Tyler and the Doctor, the Queen of England is bewitched. I would have your heads."

"Well," the younger Doctor said. "This has all the makings of your lucky day."


	6. Chapter 5

**Many thanks go out to Jackjenfan, for your lovely review.**

* * *

**Chapter 5.**

"_Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself."_

_ -Leo Tolstoy_

* * *

_POV: Rose_

_Date: Spring, 1562_

"I think there's three of them now," Clara's voice echoed through the time fissure.

"There's a precedent for that," the voice that belonged to the woman named Kate said.

"What is that?" the leader of the soldiers demanded. "That thing, what witchcraft is it?"

"Ah, yes!" the older Doctor cried as he flipped his screwdriver. "Now that you mention it—that is witchcraft. Yes, yes, yes. Witchy witchcraft. Hello?" he turned to the anomaly. "Hello in there. Excuse me. Hello! Am I talking to the wicked witch of the well?"

I snickered. _"The wicked witch of the well?"_

My Doctor huffed. _"Oh shut it."_

"Clara?" the older Doctor called again.

"Hello?" his companion's voice trembled out.

"Clara, hi, hello. Hello. Would you mind telling these prattling mortals to get themselves be gone?"

"What he said," Clara said in a monotone, and my ears pricked when I detected a Northern accent.

"_A cousin of yours?" _I joked.

My Doctor snorted.

"Yes, tiny bit more color," the older Doctor whined.

"Right," she said with a sigh. "Prattling mortals, off you…pop, or I'll turn you all into frogs!"

The whole group of soldiers flinched, and I had to smile. _"I like this one."_

"Oh, frogs, nice. You heard her!"

She huffed. "Doctor, what's going on?"

"It's a…" the older Doctor walked back over to us. "A timey-wimey thing."

"Timey what?" the younger Doctor demanded. "Time-wimey?"

"I've no idea where he picks that stuff up," my Doctor said, and I had to bite down on my lip to keep from snickering.

It was then that the Queen decided to make a reappearance.

"You don't seem to be kneeling," she commented as the soldiers all fell before her. "How brave of you."

"Which one are you?" I demanded.

"What happened to the other one?" my Doctor asked.

She smirked. "Indisposed. Long live the Queen."

"Long live the Queen," the soldiers all said.

"Arrest these people," Elizabeth ordered. "Take them to the Tower."

"That is not the Queen of England, that's an alien duplicate!" My Doctor shouted as he pointed at her.

I rolled my eyes. "Do you not see where we are? Maybe my mum was right about you."

"Now that's just low," the older Doctor grumbled.

"Thank you," my Doctor said.

"Wait," the older Doctor said. "Did you say the Tower? Ah, yes, brilliant! Love the Tower. Breakfast at eight, please. Will there be Wi-Fi?"

I snorted. "My point stands."

"I demand to be incarcerated in the Tower immediately with my co-conspirators: Pink-and-Yellow, Sandshoes, and Granddad."

"Granddad?" the younger Doctor cried.

"They're not sandshoes," my Doctor said.

The younger Doctor scoffed. "Yes, they are."

"Silence!" Queen Elizabeth shouted. "The Tower is not to be taken lightly. Very few emerge again."

I snorted. "So it'll be easy then."

* * *

_POV: Mara_

_Date: November 23, 2013_

"Dear God, that man's clever," Kate said, "come on."

"Where are we going?" Clara demanded.

"My office, otherwise known as the Tower of London."

"Well," I said, and glanced at Jenny. "This should be fun."

We followed Kate out of what appeared to be an art gallery out to a car. That car quickly took us over to the Tower in question.

Kate pressed her phone to her ear as we arrived. "The Doctor will be trying to send us a message. We're looking for a string of numerals from around 1550, approximately. Priority One. I'm going to need to access the Black Archive."

I raised my eyebrows. "You mean he's going to leave us coordinates for the Vortex Manipulator."

She nodded. "Precisely."

Kate took us down to the entrance of the archive. What it was, Jenny and I had yet to figure out.

"The Black Archive. Highest security rating on the planet. The entire staff have their memories wiped at the end of every shift. Automated memory filters in the ceiling. Access, please." She showed a security guard a badge. "Atkins, isn't it?" she asked as she handed him a key.

"Yes ma'am. First day here," the man said with a smile.

She turned to us. "Been here ten years."

"_She loves this job a little too much,"_ I commented as the door began to open.

"_Reminds me of us,"_ Jenny said.

I smiled slightly. That was one of the biggest hazards of our lifestyle—becoming addicted.

We followed Kate and Clara into the heart of the Archive and looked around. There were various bits of alien tech—most of which looked vaguely familiar and definitely deadly—lying around.

Kate finally came to stop in front of a quartered off section of the room. Beyond the glass I could see another Vortex Manipulator.

"What is that?" Clara asked.

"Time travel," Kate said, and something in her tone made me pull my sleeve down over my own Manipulator. "A Vortex Manipulator bequeathed to the UNIT archive by Captain Jack Harkness on the occasion of his death. Well, one of them. No one can know we have this, not even our allies."

"So that's your plan then?" Jenny asked. "Wait for the coordinates to come in and then use the Manipulator to get to our parents?"

Kate glanced at my sister, and there was a gleam in her eyes that made Jenny and I shift on our feet. Something wasn't right.

"Essentially," she said. "Although I'm not sure there's enough power for a two-way trip. In any event, we'll have to hope that the Doctor will allow us access to the activation code."

"Right," I said, and stepped closer to Clara. Something was off, and I wanted to be close to her when the shoe finally dropped.

Kate grabbed her phone when it rang. "Yes?" she turned away from us. "Well, if you've found it, photograph it and send it to my phone."

Clara glanced over, and I saw her eyebrows pull down in confusion. I followed her gaze, and sucked in a breath. There watching us were two other people.

There was the shoe.

"Kate? Should they be here? Why have they followed us?" Clara asked.

"Oh, they've probably just finished disposing of the humans a bit early," Kate said.

Jenny grabbed both me and Clara and yanked us backwards. "I knew it."

Kate chuckled. "Well then, for heaven's sake dear, why didn't you say anything?" she spat out a red gelatinous substance I could only assume was venom, and we watched as her face began to morph into something that was clearly not human.

I grabbed the phone from where it was sitting by the Vortex Manipulator and glanced at the picture. Clara grabbed the Vortex Manipulator and attached it to her wrist while I inputted the code into the device.

The alien masquerading as Kate glanced back at her comrades. "Prepare to dispose of one more human. We have acquired the device."

"Actually no!" Jenny shouted out. "But good on you for trying."

The alien hissed at us, and I giggled. "Activation code, right?"

Jenny took one of Clara's hands and I gripped her wrist before smashing down on the power button.

We closed our eyes as the device whisked us away.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6.**

"_War does not determine who is right—only who is left."_

_ -Bertrand Russell_

* * *

_POV: Rose_

_Date: Spring 1562_

I was not nearly as thrilled as the Doctor was to be thrown into yet another dark, wet prison.

"Come on, you lot, get in there!" the warder cried as he shoved us in.

"Ow," the younger Doctor mumbled.

I sighed, and headed for the nearest bench. "Come on then, you can tell me. What's the plan?"

"I'm going to scratch a message into this stone pillar," the older Doctor said. "Future Clara, Kate, and our…" he cleared his throat. "Jenny and Mara will see it, and use Jack's old Vortex Manipulator to get back to us."

"Right," I said, "sounds simple enough."

The older Doctor glanced around. "Although…three of us in one cell is going to cause some nasty anomalies if we don't get out soon."

"Shouldn't be a problem," I said. "Our girls are clever. And I'm sure this Clara is as well or she wouldn't be with you."

The younger Doctor smiled at me, and I detected a hint of wistfulness in his eyes. "Yeah, Clara's good."

The younger Doctor started scanning the door with his sonic, and my Doctor shook his head. "The sonic won't work on that, it's too primitive."

"Shall we ask for a better quality of door so we can escape?" the younger Doctor snarked.

I let out a short giggle. I was loving this.

"Okay, so the Queen of England is now a Zygon. But never mind that. Why are we all together?" My Doctor demanded. "Why are we all here?" he turned to me. "Rose? Any thoughts?"

I knew what he was asking me to do, and I closed my eyes to concentrate. I reached out to the golden lines in my head, but I was shoved away so hard by a force that I nearly fell off of my bench.

Both my Doctor and the older version rushed forward to help me, but only my Doctor fully approached.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

I nodded, and caught the flash of longing in the other Doctor's eyes again. "I'm fine, but I can't answer your question. There's something blocking me."

"Alright," my Doctor murmured, and kissed my temple.

I glanced up, and caught the younger Doctor's eyes flickering between the three of us with curiosity. I smiled slightly. I had forgotten that this version of my Doctor hadn't met me yet.

"So!" my Doctor wrapped an arm around my shoulders protectively. "To answer the question. Me and Chinny, we were surprised, but you." He looked to the younger Doctor. "You came looking for us. You knew it was going to happen. Who told you?"

The younger Doctor's eyes flicked off to the side, and settled on me with a strange look.

"Oi," the older Doctor demanded, "Chinny?"

"Yeah, you do have a chin," my Doctor said with a shrug.

I blinked, and studied the younger Doctor as he turned back to the door. He knew something, I could tell. There was just something in the way he looked at me—almost as if he knew me. But that wasn't possible.

"In theory," he said, "I can trigger an isolated sonic shift among the molecules, and the door should disintegrate."

My Doctor scoffed. "We'd have to calculate the exact harmonic resonance of the entire structure down to a subatomic level. Even the sonic would take years."

"Oh, we might as well get started," the younger Doctor said. "Help to pass the time-wimey." He sighed. "Do you have to talk like children? What is it that makes you so ashamed of being a grown up?"

I bit my lip when I felt that hatred stir up within my Doctor again.

"Oh, the way you both look at me. What is that? I'm trying to think of a better word than dread."

I swallowed, and took my Doctor's hand.

"It must be really recent for you," he rasped as our fingers intertwined.

The younger Doctor raised his eyebrows. "Recent?"

"The Time War," the older Doctor murmured. "The last day. The day you killed them all."

"The day _we_ killed them all," my Doctor corrected, and I squeezed his hand even tighter.

"Same thing," the older Doctor said with a wave of his hand.

"I don't talk about it," the younger Doctor said after a moment of silence.

"You're not talking about it. There's no one else here," my Doctor said.

I allowed him to hug me as close to him as he could. I could feel all of those memories swirling beneath his surface. It may not be as fresh for him as it once was, but even centuries later I knew my Doctor would always feel the full guilt of what he did that day.

"_Rose."_

My eyes snapped towards where the younger Doctor was sitting when I heard someone whisper my name. I half expected to see someone sitting beside him, but there was no one.

I blinked, and shook off the feeling of unease that began to pool in my stomach.

"Did you ever count?" the younger Doctor suddenly asked.

The scraping of the older Doctor's stone against the pillar he was working on suddenly stopped. "Count what?"

"How many children there were on Gallifrey that day."

I suddenly felt nauseous. I had never once considered that fact. I knew there had been many people on his planet of all ages, but somehow I had always managed to block the idea that his decision had killed innocent children. He had even mentioned that he'd had a family once, that he'd been a dad. How old were his children when he burned his planet?

I swallowed, and forced those thoughts to leave my head. I knew the Doctor would know exactly how many children there had been. He would feel more guilt for each and every one of their deaths than I could ever fathom.

"I have absolutely no idea," the older Doctor said.

I felt my stomach drop out the same time horror took over my Doctor. How could he not know?

"How old are you now?" the younger Doctor asked.

He shrugged. "Ah, I don't know. I lose track. Twelve-hundred and something, I think, unless I'm lying. I can't remember if I'm lying about my age, that's how old I am."

I hated the bitterness in his voice. Where was I? What had happened between now and where he was that had caused him to forget such a thing? Why wouldn't I make sure that bitterness never became so prevalent?

"Four hundred years older than me and in all that time you've never even wondered how many there were? You never once counted?" The younger Doctor sounded just as horrified as my Doctor and I felt.

The older Doctor spun around to face us, and I noticed that he avoided eye contact with me. "Tell me, what would be the point?"

"How can you say that?" I demanded. "The Doctor I know would never be so callous."

He stared at me for a moment. "I'm not the Doctor you know."

"Two point four seven billion," my Doctor rasped. I could hear the anger being tightly constricted in his throat.

"You did count!" the younger Doctor exclaimed.

"You forgot?" I whispered.

"Four hundred years, is that all it takes?" my Doctor demanded angrily.

"I moved on," the older Doctor said.

My Doctor jumped to his feet to step closer to him. "Where? Where can you be now that you can forget something like that?"

"Spoilers," the older Doctor deadpanned.

"No," my Doctor growled. "No, no, no. For once I would like to know where I'm going."

The older version of him glanced at me. "No, you really wouldn't."

I could feel the electricity sparking between the two of them, and tried to sink down into the bench. Who was this man in the purple tweed? He called himself the Doctor, but he was not the Doctor that I knew.

"I don't know who you are, either of you. I haven't got the faintest idea," the younger Doctor said quietly. And then, after another moment of silence. "No."

My Doctor turned to look at him. "No?"

He blinked. "Just, no."

"_Rose, he needs you."_

My eyes snapped towards the sound of that voice again, and a feeling of dread began to seep out into my limbs when I once again saw nothing. I could feel a presence now—it was like a warm buzz along the back of my neck that was shooting down my spine. Someone was trying to reach me. But who?

The older Doctor laughed, and my eyes shot to him.

"Is something funny?" I asked.

He chuckled. "Sorry, it just occurred to me. This is what I'm like when I'm alone." He laughed again and went back to scratching numbers into the stone column.

The four of us were quiet for a moment. The air was just starting to clear away the storm.

I watched as my Doctor flipped his screwdriver around. And that's when an idea came to me.

"Four hundred years," the younger Doctor murmured.

"I'm sorry?" My Doctor asked.

"It would take centuries," I said, and the younger Doctor and I exchanged a look. "Do you want to tell them?"

He nodded, and held up his screwdriver. "At a software level, they're all the same device, aren't they? Same software, different case."

"Yeah," my Doctor said with a shrug.

"So?" the older one asked.

"So, you said it would take centuries for the screwdriver to calculate how to disintegrate the door, right?" I asked.

"But since they're essentially the same piece of technology, I can scan the door and implant the calculation as a permanent subroutine in the software architecture. And, if you really are me, with your sandshoes and your dickie bow, and that screwdriver is still mine…" he glanced at me.

I grinned. "That calculation is still going on, Doctor."

Both of their eyes widened, and they brought their screwdrivers to their ears. "Yeah, still going," my Doctor said.

"Calculation complete," the older version said with a smile. "Hey, four hundred years in four seconds! We may have had our differences—which is frankly odd in the circumstances, but I tell you what boys, Rose, we are incredibly clever."

It was then that Clara, Jenny, and Mara stumbled into the room through the door.

We all blinked at them. "How did you do that?" the older Doctor finally asked.

"What, no hug?" Jenny demanded, and my heart soared to see both her and Mara unharmed.

"It wasn't locked," the woman I had to assume was Clara, said. I glanced her up and down. She was young—although she looked older than me when I had started travelling—with dark hair and brown eyes to match.

My heart skipped a beat then. I knew those eyes. She was the woman—the woman who had saved the Doctor and I when all of reality had been collapsing around us. I was suddenly hit with a wave of nightmare images—burning cities and the Sycorax and a great big crack across the sky.

The Doctor—my Doctor—reached over to squeeze my hand. He washed over my mind with a soothing hum, and brought me down from my panic spiral. He remembered her, too.

"Right," the older Doctor said.

Clara glanced between the other two Doctors at my sides. "So they're both you, then, yeah?"

"Yes," the older Doctor said, "you've met them before. Don't you remember?"

My eyes shot to his face. What was that now? How could she possibly remember that? From what the Doctor had told me, she'd died. And, more importantly, how could she possibly remember the younger Doctor?

"A bit," Clara said, and glanced at my Doctor. "Nice suit."

"Oi," I grumbled.

She blinked. "Is that…?"

Her Doctor nodded. "Yup."

"Right," she said, and then cocked her head. "Wait, three of you in one cell and Rose at your side, and none of you thought to try the door?"

"Honestly mum, dad," Mara said, "I'm embarrassed."

"It should have been locked," the younger Doctor said.

"Yes," the older Doctor said, "exactly, why wasn't it locked?"

"Because I was fascinated to see what you would do upon escaping," the Queen's voice echoed into the cell as she stepped inside. "I understand you're rather fond of this world. It's time I think you saw what was going to happen to it."

I started to follow my Doctor towards our daughters when I felt a tap on my shoulder.

"_Rose, the moment is coming."_

I spun around to face the presence I could feel standing right behind me, and froze when my gaze locked with a very familiar pair of eyes. She smiled, and gave me a wave.

I swallowed. Right. A proper reunion with my daughters could wait until later.


	8. Chapter 7

**Many thanks go out to Ricky . Rickster for your review.**

* * *

**Chapter 7.**

"_A faithful friend is a strong defense; and he that hath found him hath found treasure."_

_ -Louisa May Alcott_

* * *

_POV: Mara_

_Date: Spring 1562_

I had thought that by now there was next to nothing in the universe that could make me bat an eye. I had grown up on the TARDIS. I had spent the majority of my life traveling the stars and seeing wonders most people could only ever dream about. And yet, seeing three different versions of my father all with different faces had to be the most surreal experience of my life.

I knew what regeneration was of course, but I had never been faced with it. But now, seeing all three of my dad's regenerations together and witnessing firsthand just how different their personalities all were, I couldn't help but be a little afraid of the day it finally _would_ happen to me. The thought that one day my entire being would change was the most terrifying idea in the world. I liked who I was, and I liked how I looked. What if the next me didn't like Bananas? What if she didn't laugh when Dad knocked the TARDIS about just for fun when he drove?

I vowed then and there to keep this body as long as I possibly could.

As we followed Queen Elizabeth through the halls of the Tower, I felt the older version of my father's eyes on me. I glanced over as we walked, and reached out to take his hand. He gave my fingers a squeeze, and I smiled. It was a little strange to see my dad with such a youthful face—he looked only a few years older than me.

"It's good to see you both," he told me.

I bumped his shoulder with mine. "It's good to see you too."

We both turned our eyes forward as Queen Elizabeth led us through a door into a wide room filled with Zygons. They had scientific equipment and paintings lying about everywhere around the room.

"They Zygons lost their own world. It burnt in the first days of the Time War. A new home is required," Queen Elizabeth—or at least, a copy of the Queen—said.

"So they want this one," Clara supplied.

"Not yet. It's far too primitive. Zygons are used to a certain level of comfort." The contempt that dripped off of every word she spoke made my smile return. She was either a very good actress or the real Queen, and my money was on the latter.

One of the red sucker creatures came up to the Queen. "Commander," it hissed, "why are these creatures here?"

Jenny snorted. "Creatures? Have you looked at yourself?"

I chuckled and our Dad—the Doctor we knew—shot her an amused expression. "Now Jenny, don't judge. I'm sure on the Zygon home world our friend here was a great catch."

My smile widened. It was good to be together again.

* * *

_POV: Rose_

_Date: Spring, 1562_

I suppose at this point I shouldn't be surprised to turn around and be met with my own eyes. It's like the Doctor had always told me; travel through time long enough and you'll likely end up meeting yourself in the middle.

"What are you doing here?" I demanded. "You know how disastrous this paradox could be!"

She nodded. "This is worth the risk."

"Why are you here?" I asked again.

"You can feel it can't you?" her eyes took on a far-away look. "The moment is coming; the moment he did it."

I shivered. I _could _feel it. If I concentrated, I could see the event set out before me on a golden thread. I could almost even hear the screams.

"What if I told you there was a way to stop it?" she asked.

I narrowed my eyes. "There's no way to stop it—it's a set point. Galleyfray is always lost."

She held up a finger. "Exactly."

I blinked, and slowly uncrossed my arms. "I'm listening."

"What if someone had been with the Doctor when he was faced with the decision?" she proposed. "A conscience for him to listen to—a guide. Someone who could push him into thinking of other options."

"You mean us, don't you," I said.

She nodded. "You have to go back, Rose, back to Galleyfray long before the Time War started. The War itself is a fixed point, it can never be undone, but the end of it can be rewritten. I have the power to open the time lock to give the Doctor a second chance to save his home world, but you have to go back to make sure we're there for him. Can you do that?"

She wasn't saying it out loud, but I knew what this task would entail. I would have to leave them all behind again, and so soon after we had all gotten back together. Could I do it? Was I strong enough to do this, even for the Doctor?

"I suppose you already know the answer to that," I said quietly.

Her lip twitched upward into a soft smile, and she nodded towards the door. "Now go before they figure out you're missing. I'll tell you when it's time."

I nodded, and hurried after them.

Queen Elizabeth's voice echoed down the hall as I approached a door that led into what appeared to be the Zygon's headquarters.

"Observe this," she said, "I believe you will find it fascinating."

I watched with curiosity as one of the Zygons walked up to a glass cube that had been placed in front of a landscape oil painting. It placed its rubbery hand along several indents in the cub, and then vanished into the air.

"Brilliant," I said.

My Doctor's eyes shot to me, and he reached back for my hand. _"Where were you?"_

I shrugged. _"I thought I saw something interesting. Turned out to be nothing."_

Clara pointed to one of the other paintings nearby. "That's him! That's the Zygon in the picture now."

"It's not a picture," the younger Doctor said. "It's a stasis cube. Time Lord art; frozen instants in time—bigger on the inside, but could be deployed as…"

My Doctor's face lit up as it always did when he'd just made an important connection. "Suspended animation. Oh, that's good. The Zygons all pop inside the pictures, wait a few centuries till the planet's a bit more interesting, and then out they come."

"The twenty-first century interests them?" I asked. "Blimey, they're easy. If it were me I'd wait for the sixty-third to come around."

I heard the older Doctor chuckle before turning to his companion. "You see, Clara, they're stored in the paintings in the Under Gallery like cup-a-soups. Except you add time, if you can picture that. Nobody could picture that. Forget I said cup-a-soups."

I chuckled under my breath. _"You don't change all that much, do you?"_

My Doctor shot me a sideways glance. _"Oi, what're you trying to say?"_

"It's a good nap at least," Mara joked.

My Doctor abruptly swiveled around to face Queen Elizabeth. "And do you know why I know that you're a fake? Because you're such a bad copy."

The Queen's eyebrows raised, and I nudged the Doctor. "Be nice."

"No, Rose, look at her! It's not just the smell, or the unconvincing hair, or the atrocious teeth, or the eyes just a bit too close together, or the breath that could stun a horse! It's because the _real_ Queen Elizabeth would never be stupid enough to reveal her own plan. Honestly, why would you do that?"

At this point, the Queen's eyebrows were raised nearly all the way up to her hairline. "Because it's not my plan—and I _am_ the real Elizabeth."

My Doctor took a step back from her. "Ah. Well, that would follow."

"My twin is dead in the forest," she said as she pulled out a dagger. "I am accustomed to taking precautions. These Zygon creatures never even considered that it was me who survived rather than their own commander. The arrogance that typifies their kind."

"Zygons?" Clara asked.

She snorted. "Men."

I had to bite my lip to keep myself from laughing at the wounded expressions on the three Doctor's faces.

"Doctor," Elizabeth said, "can I rely on your service to defeat these creatures?"

"Well, I'm going to need my TARDIS," my Doctor said.

The Queen smiled proudly. "It has been procured already."

"Brilliant!" Jenny cried. "Let's go then."

I fell to the back of the group as we followed her Majesty out of the Tower so I could finally greet my girls.

Mara hugged me first. "I missed you, Mum."

"Me too," Jenny said as I pulled her into my free side. "You and Dad."

"My girls." I squeezed them both into my sides before releasing them. "Don't go so long without saying hello, yeah? Me and your Dad were worried."

Mara glanced over at the three Doctors. "Why are they all together, anyway? Something big has to be going on for all three of them to be in one place."

My face darkened when I thought back on the conversation I'd had with the future me earlier, but I quickly covered up my reaction with a bright smile. "I suppose we'll find out soon."


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8.**

"_Do not take life too seriously; you will never get out of it alive."_

_ -Elbert Hubbard_

* * *

_POV: Rose_

_Date: Spring, 1562_

"Right then, back to the future!" my Doctor yelled as we entered his TARDIS.

I rolled my eyes. "How long have you been practicing that one?"

The younger Doctor looked unimpressed as he surveyed the console room. "You've let this place go a bit."

"Oi!" Jenny and Mara cried. "We like it."

The older Doctor waved his hand. "Ah, it's his grunge phase. He grows out of it."

"Oh, but I love the coral! It's beautiful!" I complained as I reached out to stroke one of the struts.

"Don't you listen to them," my Doctor told the console. Suddenly, an alarm began to blare and the TARDIS shocked my Doctor. "Ow! The desktop is glitching."

The younger Doctor stepped closer. "Three of us from different time zones. It's trying to compensate."

Jenny, Mara, Clara, and I all watched with fascination as the console room started to morph into older models. Eventually it came to settle with walls full of round lights.

"He, look. The round things," the older Doctor said excitedly.

"I love the round things," my Doctor gushed.

"What are the round things?" I asked.

"No idea," they both said.

I stepped up and started to help pilot the TARDIS. Clara shot me a look of surprise. "You know how to fly this thing?"

I laughed. "I've been here a while. Don't worry; you'll pick it up eventually."

"Oh dear, the friction contrafibulator," the older Doctor reached over and flicked on of the many parts of the console. Finally, the room stopped shaking and settled on an image. "Ha! There, stabilized."

I looked around the console room with wide eyes. The room was still dark, but where I was used to a large space with lots of grating and rust, this room was sleek and small and full of chrome textures.

"Oh, you've redecorated," my Doctor said as he glanced around. "I don't like it."

The older Doctor looked offended. "Oh yeah? Oh, you never do. Listen, we're going to the National Gallery. The Zygons are underneath it."

"No," Mara said, "they're at UNIT HQ."

"That's right!" Clara exclaimed. "They followed us there to the Black Archive."

I felt it when my Doctor's hearts stopped, and all three of them slowly turned to stare at her with identical expressions of horror.

"Okay," Clara said with a shaky voice, "so you've heard of that, then."

The older Doctor snapped his fingers. "Telegraph for Kate Stewart!" He fiddled with several controls until a screen I'd never seen before popped up. "Science leads, Kate. Is that what you meant? Is that what your father meant?"

"Doctor?" a voice asked.

"Space-Time Telegraph, Kate. A gift from me to your father—hotline straight to the TARDIS."

I leaned towards my Doctor. "What's in the Black Archive?"

He gripped the console tightly. "Every piece of alien tech that UNIT has ever collected. Think of Canary Wharf, except underneath there's a failsafe in case the archive was ever compromised. A nuclear warhead with enough power to destroy the whole city."

"So, if the Zygons get the tech it's bad, and if they don't it's bad," I said.

"Exactly." He nodded.

"Typical Tuesday then."

"Pretty much."

"I know about the Black Archive and I know about the security protocol. Kate, please. _Please_ tell me you are not to do something unbelievably stupid." The older Doctor motioned for us to keep flying the TARDIS, and we jumped in. Some of the controls were slightly unfamiliar, but I quickly picked up the correct flight sequence to keep her from crashing.

"I'm sorry, Doctor," Kate said.

My Doctor ran over to the Telegraph. "Not as sorry as you will be. This is not a decision you will ever be able to live with!" He glanced up at me, and I could see that old self-loathing in his eyes.

"Kate, we're trying to bring the TARDIS in. Why can't we land?"

"I said, switch it off," Kate's voice sounded frustrated.

"No, Kate, please. Just listen to me!" The older Doctor slammed the Telegraph down angrily. "Humans! That's your solution for everything isn't it? Just blow it up!"

My Doctor stepped back from the controls, and we set the TARDIS into drift mode. "The Tower of London—totally TARDIS-proof."

"How can they do that?" Clara asked.

"Alien technology plus human stupidity," the older Doctor said as he rubbed his face. "Trust me, it's unbeatable."

"Oi." Mara smacked his chest. "They're not all bad."

"We don't need to land," the younger Doctor suddenly said.

Our heads all swiveled to give him the same incredulous look. "Yeah, we do," my Doctor said, "a tiny bit. Try and keep up."

"No, we don't," his younger self insisted as he picked up one of the Zygon cubes that was lying on the console. "There is another way. Cup-a-soup." He glanced up at Jenny. "What is cup-a-soup?"

My eyes widened. "What did you have in mind?"

* * *

_POV: Jenny_

_Date: November 23, 2013_

"Exterminate!"

I blinked as the effects of the suspended animation began to wear off. Immediately, my mind snapped back to the task at hand, and I reached for my sonic. In one, practiced move, I turned and set my screwdriver on the Dalek. My Sonic's power, combined with the power of all three versions of the Doctor, Mara, and Mum's screwdrivers was enough to send it flying straight out of the painting.

"Shall we?" Mum asked, and we all strode forward.

The four of us followed the Doctors out into the heart of the Black Archive, where I could see two versions of Kate and two other lab techs surrounding a table.

"Hello," the younger Doctor said.

"I'm the Doctor," Dad finished.

"Sorry about the Dalek." The older Doctor glanced back at the exploded creature.

I glanced over at Clara as she stumbled to my side. "Also the showing off." She turned to me. "Honestly, is that genetic?"

"Kate Lethbridge Stewart, what in the name of sanity are you doing?" the older version of my Dad asked, and I couldn't help but smile at his fatherly tone.

A slight blush crept into Kate's cheeks. "The countdown can only be halted at my personal command. There's nothing you can do."

"Except make you both agree to halt it," Dad said as his eyes flickered between the two Kates.

She let out a short laugh. "Not even for three of you."

"You're about to murder millions of people," the younger version of Dad rasped.

"To save billions," she countered. "How many times have you made that calculation?"

I felt the heaviness in my Dad's hearts. "Once," his older self said. "Turned me into the man I am now." He glanced back at the other Doctors, and then at Mum. "I'm not even sure who that is any more."

My eyes flicked to Mum, and it suddenly occurred to me—why wasn't she with him? And where were Mara and I? We wouldn't all abandon him, surely, and the thought of what could have happened to keep all of us away made me shiver.

"You tell yourself it's justified, but it's a lie. Because what I did that day was wrong," Dad said, and shook his head. "Just wrong."

"_Killing is a disease," _his words echoed in my head.

I saw both Mum and the younger Doctor glance over at something, and I followed their gazes, but there was nothing there. My eyes narrowed—what had they seen?

Both my Dad and his older self pulled chairs up to the table. "And because I got it wrong, I'm going to make you get it right." I couldn't help but smile as they sat down and crossed both their arms and legs in perfect sync. Clara was right, they did love showing off.

"How?" Kate asked.

"Any second now, you're both going to stop that countdown. Both of you—together," Dad said.

"Then you're going to negotiate the most perfect treaty of all time," the older one said.

Dad turned to his counterpart. "Safeguards all round, completely fair on both sides."

"And the key to a perfect negotiation?"

"Not knowing what side you're on."

Mara and I glanced at each other as they both pushed away from the table and stood up. Neither of us liked the sound of that.

"So," the older Doctor said, "for the next few hours, until we decide to let you out—"

"No one in this room will be able to remember if they're human—"

"Or Zygon," the older version of Dad exclaimed as the two of them flicked out their screwdrivers and jumped on the table.

"Whoops-a-daisy!" Dad cried as they shorted the memory filter in the ceiling.

Both the Humans and the Zygon copies looked confused for a moment, and then both Kates eyes locked with the same terrified expression.

"Cancel the detonation!" they both shouted.

The older version of Dad smiled. "Peace in our time."


	10. Chapter 9

**Many thanks go out to LiveLaughLoveSparkle and enigmaticdrscully for your kind reviews. :)**

* * *

**Chapter 9.**

"_The pain of parting is nothing to the joy of meeting again."_

_ -Charles Dickens_

* * *

_POV: Rose_

_Date: November 23, 2013_

"The Doctor does love company when he's traveling," I said as I stepped up next to Clara. She was staring at a large board filled with pictures of the Doctor's many companions.

"Well who wouldn't?" she asked. "Traveling alone is no fun."

I smiled slightly, and turned to see the younger Doctor sitting in a chair off to the side of the negotiation scene. I hesitantly walked over to him, and sat down.

He glanced up, and I could see that thoughtful look in his eyes again. "Yes?"

"You looked lonely," I said, and glanced over at where my Doctor was running around the table chattering. "Besides, they don't need me."

He looked up at his older selves and let out a short laugh. "They do seem to have more than enough energy between them to keep a handle on things."

I chuckled. "You have no idea."

He stared at me then, and the look he gave me sent a shiver up my spine. "What was your name?"

"Rose Tyler," I said, and held out my hand.

He shook it. "And you're from my future?"

My lips twitched up into a slight smile. "Only by a little bit."

He returned my smile. "Then I look forward to meeting you properly."

I laughed, and glanced up only to freeze when my eyes found her staring at me from across the room. She looked so sad for only the briefest of moments before jerking her head to the side.

"Excuse me," I said, and stood to follow her.

I was stopped by a hand on my arm. "Where are you going?" Clara asked.

I felt a familiar warmth tickle my heart as I stared down at her. She was still so young, and so fresh to this life. But despite her youth, I could still see it—that love for the Doctor that was so clearly in her eyes. She had the look of someone who would die to protect him, and I wondered if she knew that she had already. I wondered if she knew how grateful I was for that.

I granted her one of my tongue-in-teeth smiles. "I think our boys can handle this; there's something that I need to do."

She reached out to squeeze my hand, and then I could see it—she knew. She knew what was about to happen. And the fact that she knew, while I didn't, was more than a little unsettling. What was even more unsettling, however, was the fact that I could see she wasn't going to try to stop me from leaving.

"Be careful," she said, and I could feel the weight of her words as they settled themselves on my shoulders. "He needs you."

I glanced over at the negotiation table. The younger Doctor was still hanging back, but I could see a slight smile on his face as he observed his older selves. As I watched, the older Doctor glanced up and locked eyes with me. I saw him swallow hard and I longed to ask him where I was. I could still see the wedding band on his finger, but with the Doctor that could imply a whole host of possibilities—not all of which were good for me.

His eyes asked the question, and I gave him a slight nod before finally allowing myself to look at my family one last time. I could feel how excited they all were to be together again, and I had to smile. It had been far too long since the last time we were all in one place.

Finally, I turned to leave.

I had nearly made it to the door when I felt another hand on my arm. I glanced over my shoulder, and my eyes met with Mara's. She looked concerned. "Where are you going?"

I sighed, and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. I wasn't sure I was strong enough to leave her again. "Don't be afraid; I'm coming back. I promise, okay? I'll be back." I wasn't really sure which one of us I was trying to convince at this point.

She smiled slightly. "I love you, Mum."

I kissed her cheek. "Be brave, Sweetheart," I murmured, and forced myself out through the door. I pushed myself to walk away and I didn't stop until I was far away from the archive. I took in a deep breath, and closed my eyes. "I'm here."

I felt it when she appeared before me, and opened my eyes. "So you are," she said simply.

I glanced down one side of the alley we were in. "We can't stay like this for long. The paradox would be…" I shuddered at the thought.

She laughed, but the sound was bitter. "I know, I know. Are you ready?"

I bit my lip—was I? Could I really do this? Could I really leave them behind again?

I thought back to the face of the younger Doctor. He looked so weary—as though the choice set before him was physically aging him by the moment. And I thought back to the first Doctor I had met—my Doctor. He had been fresh off of the Time War. He'd already made the choice, and it had nearly destroyed him. Could I do this if that meant I could spare him that pain?

I nodded. "I am."

* * *

_POV: Mara_

_Date: November 23, 2013_

I watched Mum go with worry crinkled across my forehead. I had felt her deep sadness when she'd kissed my cheek. She was up to something—something big, but I knew in my hearts that I didn't have the power to stop her. I could only count on her promise to come back.

The negotiations between the Humans and the Zygons finished smoothly, and it wasn't until the final treaty was signed that I started to get anxious. Mum wasn't back yet—where could she have gone?

I felt it then, and both my sister and my Dad's eyes shot up when it registered with them too. It was like a spark across our telepathic network, and after it had passed there was a hole where my Mum's soft light should be.

"No!" Dad shouted, and everyone in the room jumped when he violently pushed away from the table and started to run for the exit. "Rose!"

"She's already gone," the older Doctor called out calmly. "And there's nothing you can do."

Dad froze, and slowly turned around to face his older self. I could see the storm in his eyes; I didn't need an empathic connection to feel the anger roiling off of him. "You knew this was going to happen."

The older Doctor glanced down. "I may have remembered. That doesn't change the fact that it has to happen—you have to let her go."

"Doctor, he's right," Clara said, and bravely stepped closer to my father. "Even if you try you won't be able to find her. Not for a while, at least." She glanced back at her Doctor, and he cast his eyes down.

A charged silence settled over the room as my Dad glared daggers at the older Doctor. Just as the tension was reaching its peak—one of the lab techs cleared her throat.

"Um, excuse me?" she asked, "but weren't there three of you?"

All of our heads swiveled over to where the younger Doctor had been sitting, and Dad cursed when we found the chair empty. "He must've already left for…" he trailed off, and looked over at the older Doctor with wide eyes. "You don't think he's already?"

The older Doctor leapt into action. "Get back to your TARDIS, we'll meet you there!"

Jenny and I ran after Dad as he sprinted for his ship, and all three of us shoved through the doors to get to the controls.

"But what about Mum?" Jenny demanded. "Aren't we going to save her?"

Dad kept his eyes on the console as the TARDIS shook. "Your Mum knows how to take care of herself."

"But Dad—" I protested.

"Girls, it's your Mum or Galleyfray." He shot his eyes up to give us both a hard stare. "Which would you choose?"

Jenny and I glanced at each other, and I swallowed. "Galleyfray."

"Right then." He inputted the landing sequence, and waved a hand for the doors. "Let's go."

We followed him out into what appeared to be a barn. It was a wide space with bright beams of sunlight peeking through the cracks between the slabs of wood and dust floating in the air. I glanced over at Clara and the older Doctor as they came out of their TARDIS. Their eyes were locked on where the younger Doctor was standing in the middle of the room. In front of him was what appeared to be a large box covered in Galleyfrayan markings. On top of the box there was a ruby attached to an elegant golden stem.

"I told you," Clara said. "He hasn't done it yet."

"Go away now, all of you. This is for me," the younger Doctor rasped, and turned away from us.

"These events should be time-locked." I picked up on the tension in my Dad's voice. "We shouldn't even be here."

"So something let us through," the older Doctor said.

"Go back," the younger Doctor ordered. "Go back to your lives. Go and be the Doctor that I could never be. Make it worthwhile." His hand shook as he turned away from us and placed it on the red button.

"All those years, burying you in my memory," Dad muttered as he stared at his younger self.

The older Doctor glanced at Dad. "Pretending you didn't exist. Keeping you a secret even from myself."

Dad took a step forward. "Pretending you weren't the Doctor, when you were the Doctor more than anybody else."

Mara stepped closer so she could take my hand, and I gave her a weak smile.

The older Doctor walked over so he could face his younger self. "You were the Doctor on the day that it wasn't _possible_ to get it right."

Dad stepped up to his other side. "But this time," he said, and placed his hand overtop the younger Doctor's on the red button.

The older Doctor placed his hand over both of theirs. "You don't have to be alone."

I swallowed, and pulled Mara closer.

"Thank you," the younger Doctor whispered so softly that my Time Lord ears were almost unable to hear him.

There was a moment of complete silence.

Dad pulled in a deep breath. "What we do today is not out of fear or hatred." He looked over at us. "It is done because there is no other way."

I saw a tear streak down Clara's cheek, and reached out for her hand. She bit her lip and wouldn't look at me. I squeezed her hand anyway.

"And it is done in the name of the many lives we are failing to save," the older Doctor said, and glanced at Clara. She shook her head at him. "What?" he demanded. "What is it? What?"

"Nothing," she said.

"No, it's something." He looked away from her, and I could feel my Dad's shame when he saw her tears. "Tell me."

"You told me you wiped out your own people," she said, and her voice was small. "I just. I never pictured _you_ doing it, that's all."

I closed my eyes. I knew the feeling. I had never imagined Dad standing there either.

I felt something shift, and opened my eyes as the room went dark. "What's happening?" Clara demanded.

"Nothing," the younger Doctor said, "it's a projection."

"But how is it projecting?" Mara asked.

She received no answer as we watched the images play out around us. It was a dark street with debris from what I could only assume was a firefight scattered everywhere. Fires were burning all around and I was suddenly hit with the flash of a memory from a timeline that didn't exist anymore. Another dark city on fire, and then white walls.

"These are the people you're going to burn?" Clara demanded.

I opened my eyes again and watched them running past us. There was terror on their faces as they scrambled to get away from their attackers. I heard a child scream, and glanced over to see her trapped in a pile of rubble as a Dalek approached her.

"Dad," I whispered, "you can't."

He stared right through me with hard eyes. "There isn't anything we can do."

"He's right," the older Doctor said. "There isn't another way. There never was. Either I destroy my own people or let the universe burn."

I remembered then why Mara and I had left, and looked away from him. There was no one, singular being in this universe or any other that should be allowed to make that kind of choice for billions. Not even him.


	11. Chapter 10

**Well, due to unforeseen circumstances I won't be able to upload this tomorrow. So that just means you all get it today! Many thanks go out to enigmaticdrscully for your review.**

* * *

**Chapter 10.**

"_You can make mistakes. Mistakes don't make you."_

_ -Maxwell Maltz_

* * *

_POV: Rose_

_Date: Pending _

Traveling through the vortex was just as taxing on my body as I remembered it. I was stronger now than the last time I had done this, but it felt as though that added tolerance only made the vortex push against me harder.

I shoved against the time winds as they tried to force me out. I could see it now—a clear path to my destination. There was one golden thread glowing brighter than all of the others that led back to Galleyfray.

I cried out when the forces of the vortex shoved against me hard enough to force me towards an open time pocket nearby. I wanted to push back, but the advice my older self had provided echoed in my head.

"_The vortex will try to push you out. Let it."_

I stopped struggling and allowed the winds to carry me through the pocket. I was momentarily blinded as the vortex ejected me with a mighty shove, so I was unable to see exactly where or when I was, but I heard her song. The TARDIS was calling out to me—she was close, and as long as she was nearby I knew I was going to be alright.

My hands flew up to protect my face as I rolled across hard gravel. I coughed once I finally lost momentum, and allowed myself to lay there for a moment. I stared up at the sky and sucked in a breath of air all the way down to my toes before opening my eyes.

No. I shouldn't be here at all.

I scrambled to my feet and scanned my surroundings. It was still all so familiar—the craggy purple rocks, the squat white military-issue buildings against a green sky, and not a plant to be seen save the occasional scraggily bush.

The Aqu were a vicious war torn species whose planet had suffered for their conflict that spanned over the course of three centuries. At this point in their timeline they had separated themselves into two separate factions—the Maly and the Vycl.

The Maly were the less advanced of the two people's. They lived on the Southern half of the planet, where the weather was always below freezing temperatures. They were mainly an underground dwelling race, and that's primarily why the Vycl feared them. They lived on the warmer Northern half of the planet, and many generations in a sunny environment had caused their religion to revolve around the sun. To them, anything that lived below the soil was inherently evil.

When we first landed, it had not surprised me in the slightest that religion was the main point of conflict here. I had seen the same conflict on many different planets over the course of many centuries.

What had surprised me, however, was the outcome of this particular war.

I heard it when the TARDIS chimed a warning, but it was already too late.

"So you have finally returned!" a gruff voice cried out. "We told you what would happen to the Maly if you came back, and yet, here you stand. What do you have to say for yourself now righteous one?"

I clenched my jaw, and slowly turned around.

I should not be here at all.

* * *

_POV: Jenny_

_Date: the Final Day._

"Look at you," Clara murmured. "The three of you—the warrior, the hero…and you."

The older Doctor stepped forward, and I wanted to pull Clara back from the look in his eyes. "And what am I?" he asked.

"Have you really forgotten?" she asked.

"Yes," he said, "maybe, yes."

She sniffed. "We've got enough warriors," she said. "Any old idiot can be a hero."

"Then what do I do?" he asked.

"What you've always done," Mara said, "help."

"Make the impossible choice," I pitched in.

Clara smiled slightly. "Be a Doctor."

The projection shifted then, and people slowly began to emerge from their hiding places as the sun peaked out above the hills.

"You told me the name you chose was a promise," Clara said, "what was the promise?"

"Never cruel or cowardly," Dad stated.

"Never give up," the younger Doctor finished, "never give in."

The projection finally lifted, and we were back in the barn. All three of the Doctors looked as though they took in a unison breath of relief as they glanced at each other.

Dad caught sight of the expression on his older self's face. "You're not actually suggesting that we change our own personal history?"

"We change history all the time. I'm suggesting something far worse."

"What exactly?" the younger Doctor asked.

The older Doctor glanced at Mara and I, and straightened up. "Gentlemen, I have had four hundred years to think about this…I changed my mind." He pulled out his sonic and pointed it at the red button. It slowly descended into its box.

He flipped his sonic and put it back in his pocket as he and Dad stepped over to the other side of the barn. "There's still a billion billion Daleks up there attacking." The younger Doctor's tone was perplexed as he watched his older selves warily.

"What do you think he's got planned?" Mara asked as we followed Clara across the barn.

"No idea," I whispered back.

"Yeah, there is—there is!" the older Doctor exclaimed as he began to pace the barn.

"But! There's something those billion billion Daleks don't know," Dad said, and turned to me. "Can you guess what that is?"

I stared at him for a moment, and his eyes flicked over to his younger self. I followed the direction of his gaze, and it suddenly clicked. "Oh, that's good."

"If they did know, they'd probably send for reinforcements!" the older Doctor's words sped up with excitement as he pointed to Dad.

I glanced at Mara, and nodded my head towards the older Doctor. Her eyes widened. "If they were smart they wouldn't even try."

"What?" Clara demanded. "What don't they know?"

The older Doctor whipped around on his heel. "This time there's three of us."

"Oh!" The younger Doctor's eyes shot up towards the ceiling and his hands flew to his forehead. "Oh, yes, that is good. That is brilliant!"

Dad's eyes widened. "Oh, oh, oh, I'm getting that too! That is brilliant!" He bounded over to our TARDIS to jump up and high five her side.

"Ha, ha, ha! I've been thinking about it for centuries!" the older Doctor exclaimed.

"Care to share with the rest of the class?" Mara asked.

They ignored her. "She didn't just show me any old future—she showed me exactly the future I needed to see!" the younger Doctor shouted happily.

My eyes shot to him. "Run that by me again?"

"Oh, Bad Wolf girl, I could kiss you!" he cried, and sent out a kiss into the air.

Dad, Mara, and I all froze. "Sorry, did you just say Bad Wolf?" Dad asked.

"You really did have a thing for worn leather jackets when you were younger, didn't you?"

We all turned to see her sitting on one of the various crates in the room. She stopped swinging her legs and her eyes grew sad. "Hello everyone."

"Rose!" Dad shouted, and ran for her.

She held up a hand as he got close. "No touch."

He stopped in his tracks, and I felt the exact moment when his face darkened. "What have you done?"

She bit her lip, and nodded towards the younger Doctor. "Ask him."

Dad spun around on his heel and leveled a dark glare at his younger self. "What did you do to my Rose?"

He held up his hands. "Nothing."

"Then what's happened to her?" he demanded.

She jumped down from her box. "We can't do this now, Doctor. The moment is here—you have to do this now or it won't just be Galleyfray that burns and you know it."

"Mum," Mara whispered. "How long have you been gone?"

I blinked, and really saw her then. Her clothes were ripped and burned in various places. Physically, she looked virtually the same as she did merely hours ago, but I could see another story in her eyes. Eyes would always give away the truth, Dad said, and Mum's looked far older and sadder than they had when I last saw her.

"Long enough," she said, and glanced at the older Doctor before nodding towards where the TARDIS' were all parked. "Now let's get a move on, ay?"

"What is the plan, exactly?" Clara asked.

The younger Doctor turned to her. "The Dalek fleets are surrounding Galleyfray and firing on it constantly."

"The Sky Trench is holding," Dad added without ever taking his eyes off of Mum. "But what if the whole planet just disappeared?"

She smirked. "What a clever trick that would be."

"Clever, sure, but how would that help?" I asked.

"The Daleks would all still be there, but they would be firing on just each other. They'd destroy themselves in their own crossfire." Dad grinned.

"Galleyfray would be gone, the Daleks would be destroyed, and it would look to the rest of the universe as if they'd annihilated each other," the younger Doctor said.

"But where would Galleyfray be?" Clara demanded.

"Frozen," Dad said. "Frozen in an instant of time. Safe, and hidden away."

The older Doctor stepped towards her. "Exactly—"

"Like a painting," the younger one finished.

Mum shivered. "Oh! I do just _love_ it when you go all brainiac." She nodded towards the TARDIS' again. "What'd yah say we get this show on the road?"

"Not until you explain what's happened to you," Dad said.

Mum stared at him. "Doctor, _the moment is here_."

"She's the consciousness," the younger Doctor explained when Dad looked over at him.

Dad's eyes widened and he glanced at the box that held the red button. "No…"

Mum reached out for him, but stopped herself. "Doctor, we can't do this now. Later, yeah?"

He swallowed, but nodded. "Yeah."


	12. Chapter 11

**Hey everyone. Just a bit of news. As it turns out, I won't be able to post an update next week. I'll be celebrating Thanksgiving with my family and I'd like to place all of my focus with them that weekend. So, instead of leaving you with a two week wait what I've decided to do is give everyone a little Thanksgiving present. Because I'm so very thankful for all of you lovely people who take the time to read my stories, I'll be posting this chapter tonight, and chapter 12 will go up sometime tomorrow. :)**

**Many thanks go out to tscheby, for your kind review. :)**

* * *

**Chapter 11.**

"_To Run or Not to Run…what a stupid question."_

_ -Machine_

* * *

_POV: Rose_

_Date: 4126 by the Aqu Calendar_

This was so, so very bad.

I slowly raised my hands in surrender. "Let's not do anything rash now."

The Imperial guard—Chex, I think his name was—chortled. "Rash? _You're_ the one who has returned after being warned. Arrest her!" He waved two of his men forward with a sharp gesture.

I forced myself not to struggle as they each grabbed on to one of my arms.

"Take her to the Emperor," Chex barked.

I glanced back at the TARDIS as they dragged me towards the largest building at the center of the complex. A few miles off, the Doctor and our daughters were trying to convince the Maly Chancellor that negotiation for peace was possible. Three hours from now, Chancellor Zimwould receive an incoming video message from the Vycl emperor. A message that would change everything.

Four hours from now there would be no life on this planet.

"What do we have here?" a voice boomed as the guards dragged me into the Emperor's chambers. "Mrs. Tyler, nobody likes a rebel."

I laughed. "But life without a little rebellion is no fun at all; wouldn't you agree Emperor Degl?"

The Emperor stood up from his throne to approach me. His orange robes billowed out as he walked and his crocodile-like eyes zeroed in on me. He stopped only inches from my face and took in a deep breath.

I froze. The Vycl had a heightened sense of smell—there was almost no doubt he would be able to tell that I had just come in through the vortex. He would be able to smell the time dust on me.

"Who are you?" he demanded—his deep orange eyes darkening and his lizard tongue flickering out across his lips. "You sound the same as the woman who was here before, and I can see that same fire in your eyes, but your scent is off. And you look…" He took a step back to run his eyes down my frame. I shivered. "Older," he finally hissed.

"Oi, did no one ever tell you that it's rude to comment on a lady's age?" I fought to keep my bravado in place. They couldn't find out that I was able to travel through the vortex. If they knew, they would try to force me to give them that knowledge to enhance their weapon. And if they enhanced that weapon…

I already knew what would happen then, and it wasn't pretty.

I needed to get out of here fast, but I was still too weak to open up a fissure. My eyes scanned the chamber for exit routes as the Emperor slowly circled me. He extended one scaly claw and pointed at me. "You smell like your Doctor's ship. How is that possible?"

"Well, I do travel inside of it a lot," I commented.

He shook his head. "No—no, if that were all it was I would have smelled it on you earlier. Chex!"

The guard came bounding into the room. "Yes your Majesty!"

The Lizard Emperor cocked his head to the side as he continued to study me. "Where did this female come from?"

I raised an eyebrow and glanced at the guard. His tongue flickered between his lips nervously. "W-well, nowhere really, sire."

Emperor Degl's eyes snapped to Chex and his eyes got impossibly narrower. "What do you mean "nowhere"? She had to come from somewhere!"

Chex shifted on his feet. "That's just it sir—she came from the sky."

"A time anomaly to be exact!" a female voice called and another lizard in dark purple robes stepped up to the Emperor's side. "Our analysts have studied the site where she appeared." The woman handed Degl an electronic readout. "I think you'll be _very_ interested in our results and the proposal we'd like to make."

He glanced at her evidence. "Interesting, and you think it could work?"

My heart squeezed as the woman nodded. "We have enough from the soil alone, and if we can get a sample of her blood we'll be able to begin synthesizing more of the compound."

"More of what compound?" I asked.

If Lizards could smirk, then the woman would have one of the most bone chilling smirks I've ever seen. "Time dust my dear. It's the element in your blood that allows you to travel without the aid of a ship. If we could synthesize the compound and add it to our weapon then we would be unstoppable."

My heart sank. That's exactly the outcome I had been afraid of.

Emperor Degl's expression matched the woman at his side. "Thank you, Mrs. Tyler, you have just insured the future of the grand Vycl Empire."

I saw it then—the timeline the Doctor had seen and would see only a few short hours from now. Thousands of worlds burning under the Vycl rule. A universe in chaos. All because of me.

It was time to run.

I launched my elbows back into the fleshy underbellies of the guards holding onto me and turned to sprint across the chamber.

"After her!" Emperor Degl roared as I shoved my way past the guards at the door.

Flat lizard feet pounded against rock as they barreled through the chamber to recapture me. I tore through the crowded streets of the compound we were in—shoving past hundreds of innocent people as I went. I couldn't allow this to happen. No matter what atrocities this race had committed against the Maly—and I knew of many were guilty of—this timeline couldn't be allowed to continue. I couldn't have the death of a whole species on my conscience. I wasn't strong enough for something like that.

_But it's already partially your fault,_ a voice hissed in the back of my mind. _He may have pulled the trigger, but you never raised a hand to stop him._

I heard gunfire as the guards continued to rush after me. I ducked, and made a hard right for an alleyway.

"Dammit!" I shouted when I came to a dead end. I whirled around as I heard my attackers approaching, and searched frantically for a way out, but I knew there was only one way.

I closed my eyes and concentrated.

"Stop!" a voice shouted.

I opened my eyes as the fissure began to form above my head, and glanced back at Chex. He had a weapon aimed in my direction.

"Stop or I'll fire!" he barked.

I turned and leapt for the fissure. I heard his gun go off, and felt a pain in my lower left leg.

Three and a half short hours from now, Chancellor Zim of the Maly collective would receive a video from Emperor Degl. In that video, Degl would proudly display a weapon that would be able to burn the entire Southern half of the Aqu world with merely the press of a button. The Doctor would come to recognize this weapon as something similar to one his own people once created called "the moment". A weapon that, if allowed to exist, would burn whole worlds.

He would give them a chance to repent of course—he always gave them a chance—but they wouldn't take it. They would use the weapon.

Jenny, Mara, and I would all follow the Doctor back into the TARDIS. He would formulate the only solution left to us—destroy the weapon. But to do so, the weapon would destroy every living thing on the planet.

Jenny and Mara would beg him to save the Maly. After all, they were innocent in all of this, but he would refuse—there wasn't enough time.

He would start the sequence, and I would help him. And afterwards, once everything was done and the planet was dead, Jenny and Mara would leave the TARDIS and the Doctor and I wouldn't see them again until the Spring of 1562.

And it was all my fault.

* * *

_POV: Mara_

_Date: November 23, 2013_

"What is it actually called?"

I looked up as Dad stepped closer to the painting of the final moments on Galleyfray before we saved it.

"Well, there's some debate," the older version of Dad said. "Either No More or Galleyfray Falls."

"Not very encouraging," the younger Doctor muttered.

"Do you know?" Dad asked as he turned to Mum. "I would think that you would. Did Galleyfray survive?"

She nodded. "The plan worked."

"How did the painting end up here?" I asked to break the tension rolling out in waves between Mum and Dad.

"No idea," the older Doctor said.

"There's always something we don't know, isn't there?" Dad asked without ever once taking his eyes away from Mum. It was like they were having their own conversation—which they could be, for all we knew. They _did_ have a telepathic connection after all.

"One should certainly hope so," the younger Doctor said, and then stood. "Well, gentlemen, it has been an honor and a privilege."

"Likewise," Dad said.

The older Doctor gave him a nod. "Doctor."

He turned to us. "They're lucky to have the two of you. Don't ever let them forget that." He kissed my cheek, and then Jenny's.

I smiled softly. "Trust me, we won't."

He smiled back and turned to Clara. "And if I grow to be half the man that you are, Clara Oswald, I shall be happy indeed."

She giggled. "That's right. Aim high." She kissed his cheek.

He turned to face his older selves. "I won't remember this, will I?"

Dad pulled in a breath. "The time streams are out of sync. You can't retain it, no."

The younger Doctor let out a heavy breath. "So I won't remember that I tried to save Galleyfray rather than burn it." His shoulders sagged. "I'll have to live with that. But for now, for this moment, I am the Doctor again. Thank you."

Dad and the older Doctor nodded in response.

The younger Doctor picked up the box he had called "the Moment" and turned to Mum. "Ready?"

She jumped up from her place on one of the benches and nodded. "Ready."

"Rose wait," Dad said and all but lunged out for her. He stopped just before he could touch her, and let his hands fall limply to his sides. "Will I ever see you again?"

She slowly reached up to trace his face without ever touching him. "Sooner than you think. Remember, I'm still with you. All you have to do is find me."

"Rose, I—" he cut himself off.

For as long as I could remember, Dad had never said the words "I love you" to Mum in front of anyone. I knew he'd spoken them to her before—she'd told me about it once—but never once had he said them in front of anyone but her.

She half smiled. "Me too," she said, and followed the younger Doctor into his TARDIS.

Dad waited until they were fully dematerialized before he spoke. "I won't remember either, so you might as well tell me."

"Tell you what?" the older Doctor asked.

Dad looked at him with an all-too-familiar fire in his eyes. "How we save her."

I saw Clara's eyes well up, and the older Doctor looked down at his feet. "We can't."

"Never say never ever," Jenny said, and nodded towards the older Doctor. "Wasn't it you who said that?"

He half smiled at her. "A _long_ time ago. I was very naïve at the time."

Dad took a step towards him. "Okay, then tell me this—tell me where we're going that you don't want to talk about."

The older Doctor took in a deep breath, and his answer seemed to weigh heavily on his shoulders. "I saw Trenzalore, where we're buried. We die in battle among millions."

I felt Dad's horror mix in with my own. "That's not how it's supposed to be."

The older Doctor shrugged. "That's how the story ends. Nothing we can do about it. Trenzalore is where you're going."

I let out a short laugh. "There you go with those absolute adjectives again. You're a bloody time traveler for Christ's sake, have you not figured out by now that all time can be rewritten?"

"Not all time," he said quietly.

"Still! Never say nothing," Dad said as he sauntered towards Clara. "Anyway, good to know my future is in safe hands. Keep a tight hold on it, Clara, and…" He glanced at us. "Give my girl's a hello from me, will you?"

She smiled as he took her hand. "On it."

He gave the hand he was holding a kiss and headed for our TARDIS. He opened the doors, but paused. "Can't save Rose you say? And Trenzalore? We need a new destination, because…I don't want to go." He glanced at the older Doctor, and headed into the ship.

Jenny bounded up to the older Doctor, and I headed for Clara. "You keep a good eye on him for us, alright?"

She nodded. "That's a promise."

I gave her a quick hug and then traded places with Jenny.

The older Doctor smiled as I pulled him in for a tight hug. "Oh, my little Cricket. Be good to him, yeah? He's got a hard road ahead of him and he's going to need you."

I nodded, and kissed his cheek. "I promise I will, Dad."

His smile widened when I called him that, and he kissed my cheek. "I love you, Mara."

"I love you, too," I said, and broke away to follow Jenny into the TARDIS. I stopped just outside of the doors, and turned back to him. "Dad, just tell me something…do we ever get Mum back?"

His eyes darkened. "There's always hope, Mara."

I swallowed, and stepped back into the TARDIS.


	13. Chapter 12

**Happy Holidays folks. :)**

* * *

**Chapter 12.**

"_The only way to make sense of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance."_

_-Alan Watts_

* * *

_POV: Rose_

_Date: January 3, 2008._

The pain in my leg was so blinding that I was only able to stay in the vortex for a couple of minutes before it spat me back out.

I cried out when I skidded across hard ground, and groaned when the pain in my leg was coupled with new pains in my ribs and back. I curled in on myself once I stopped rolling, and kept my eyes squeezed shut.

"Rose!" a voice shouted.

My eyes opened as I heard him run towards me, but there was someone else. Another set of footsteps I easily recognized.

"That's her?" Mara asked as they approached me. She was so young—maybe thirteen or so—and I felt tears spring to my eyes as I looked her over. I had never seen her while she was growing up. She was so beautiful.

"No," I gasped. She shouldn't be here—she couldn't see me. "No, you can't remember this. You can't know I was here."

The Doctor turned to her and pressed two fingers to her temple. Her eyes closed and her body sagged. He caught her and lowered her to the pavement. "She won't. She'll think I walked her home if she ever remembers this night at all. Jenny will take care of erasing the rest of the memories."

"Doctor, what's the date?" I demanded.

"Rose, you're hurt," he rasped, and reached out to examine my leg. I flinched when he extended my leg to get a better look at the wound. His eyes snapped up to me. "You've been shot!"

"Doctor, the date," I snapped.

"January 3rd, 2008," he said. "Rose, what's happened to you?"

I closed my eyes against the wave of pain that crashed over me. "Just…get me to the TARDIS, yeah? I'll explain once we're there."

He nodded. "Can you walk?"

I took his offered hand and let him pull me up. "I think so."

He pulled one of my arms around his waist and held me up by my shoulders. "The TARDIS isn't far."

"Wait, what about Mara?" I asked. "We can't leave her."

"I already called Jenny," he said, and pointed towards the edge of the park we were in, and I saw a car pull up. If I squinted, I could see Jenny inside. "She'll take care of her."

"She can't know I was here," I said.

He glanced around, and pointed to a large tree. "I'll hide you behind that and wait with her until she's safely with Jenny."

I glanced at my daughter's unconscious face, and nodded. "Okay."

The Doctor scooped me up into his arms and quickly carried me over to the tree. He set me down behind its large trunk and gently pushed my hair back. "Here," he said, and pulled out a large roll of gauze from his coat pocket. He wrapped it around my leg, and I winced. "Keep pressure on that until I get back." He yanked my hand down over the cloth and gave me a hard stare. "I'll be back for you," he said.

I nodded. "Okay."

He kissed my forehead and hurried back over to Mara.

I shivered against the cold, and waited. I tried to use my time senses to determine what point in the timeline this was, but the pain of my wound made it impossible to focus. I growled with frustration, and glanced behind me to try to get another glimpse of Mara.

I couldn't get my body to turn far enough around to see beyond the tree trunk without causing myself more pain. So I stopped struggling, and waited for the Doctor to return.

It seemed to take him ages, but finally, he came panting back around to face me. "C'mon then, let's get you back to the TARDIS."

I groaned as he helped me back up, and I gritted my teeth as we slowly shuffled our way towards the edge of the park. "So what were you doing with Mara before I came along?"

"Oh, just saving her from herself," he grumbled, and glanced at me out of the corner of his eyes. "She takes after you. She's got the jeopardy-friendly gene in full."

I chuckled. "I know."

We finally made it to the TARDIS, and he narrowed his eyes at me as we parted so he could unlock its doors. "How are you here anyway? And what happened that got you shot?"

I swallowed, and let him support my weight as we shuffled inside. "That's a long story."

"You promised to tell it," he countered.

I cried out when my leg gave out from under me, and he quickly lifted me up to carry me the rest of the way to the infirmary.

I bit down hard on my lip as he sat me down on one of the bio-beds and quickly spun around to gather his tools. "So let's hear it then," he prompted.

I swallowed as he sat down in front of me with an array of instruments and fresh gauze, and slowly lifted the hasty bandage he'd applied earlier. By now the bleeding had stopped, but I still hissed when he reached in with a surgical instrument to pull the bullet out.

I hissed as a new searing pain hit me, and forced myself to relax as he plopped the bullet into a dish with a clang. "I can't tell you anything. Too many spoilers."

His eyes shot up at that. "So you're from the future?"

The crystal around my neck suddenly felt ten times heavier than usual, and I fiddled nervously with the ring on my left hand. "A bit, yeah."

His eyes tracked my movement, and a smile broke out over his face. "So we complete our bond I take it."

I returned his smile with a soft one of my own. "Yeah."

The Doctor quickly finished dressing my wound and offered me his hand. "C'mon then, you're not going anywhere tonight. We're going to get you a nice hot cuppa and send you straight to bed. Sound good?"

"Yeah," I said, "sounds perfect."

* * *

_POV: Jenny_

_Date: January 1, 2010_

Things hadn't been the same since Mum's abrupt disappearance.

Mara had come to find me at Torchwood when she had first disappeared. She had heard Dad calling for us, and immediately took us both to the TARDIS. There we'd found him furiously typing in every type of search algorithm he knew into the ship's computer in an attempt to find her. He'd barked at us to do the same, and we got to work.

After nearly a year of searching, Mara and I were beginning to lose hope of ever finding her. Every time we all thought we were getting close we were met with a dead end. Every trail ran cold—every source ran dry. If Mum was anywhere, then she didn't want to be found, and Mara and I were beginning to accept that we should respect those wishes. Knowing her, she wouldn't have left unless she had a compelling reason.

Dad, on the other hand, refused to give up.

Mara left shortly after the one-year mark of Mum's disappearance, but I stayed to keep an eye on Dad. Someone had to or he was going to drive himself completely mad. At one point in the search, he didn't eat or sleep for nearly a month. After that I fought with him every day to make him take care of himself.

After nearly two years, I lost all hope that Mum was ever coming back.

As time wore on I could see Dad's body wearing down under the pressure of his all-consuming search. He kept saying that he could still feel her—that she was still in his head, but I was starting to wonder if that was just a symptom of his madness. Their bond was strong—stronger than any I'd ever seen—but as the years kept passing I began to wonder if Mum was even still alive.

Finally, the inevitable happened. They say you can die of a broken heart—I imagined that process would be sped up with two.

I was with him when he regenerated. It was a traumatic thing to see. He had looked at me with such helplessness in his eyes as the golden tendrils had slowly crept from his hand to the rest of his body.

"I don't want to go," he had whimpered, before bursting into flame.

I had covered my eyes and cowered down by the console as the room exploded around us. I could feel the TARDIS crashing—falling from the vortex and hurtling through space.

Dad had screamed as the final stage of his regeneration ended, and I looked up into green eyes instead of the brown ones I knew so well.

"Dad?"

His hands flew to his legs. "Legs!" he shouted. "I've still got legs. Good. Arms, hands—oo—fingers!" He wiggled his fingers in front of his face. "Lots of fingers. Ears, yes. Eyes—two—nose, I've had worse. Chin, blimey. Hair." He felt along the long brown locks and his eyes widened. "I'm a girl! No. _No_, I'm not a girl." He pulled one of the locks in front of his eyes. "And still not ginger!"

"Dad!" I shouted when the TARDIS shifted.

His eyes shot to me. "What? Who are you? Oh! Yes, Jenny, good. What else am I forgetting? There's something I'm forgetting. Something important. I'm—I'm—I'm…" He kept pounding his forehead with his fingers until the TARDIS shook even harder, causing us both to grab onto the console.

He laughed. "Crashing!" He grabbed onto a piece of the console and shot me a wink. "Hang on, Jen, this one's gonna be bumpy! Ha, ha! Whoo!"

"You're a complete nutter!" I shouted.

He laughed again. "Geronimo!"


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13.**

"_Though lovers be lost love shall not."_

_-Dylan Thomas_

* * *

_POV: Rose_

_Date: January 6, 2008_

I woke to warm breath on my neck and an arm curled around my waist.

Slowly and carefully, I extracted myself from his grasp and slipped from the bed to quickly get changed. I tried to be as quiet as possible as I laced up my boots and rummaged around for my sonic so I could be on my way. I should have guessed that he would hear me regardless.

"Rose?" he grumbled, and sat up slowly. "Where are you going?"

I swallowed, and sat back down on the bed. "It's time for me to go." I could hear the words calling me from across space and time. I could hear him crying out for me on his darkest day—shouting at his enemies as he blasted down their barricades. _No more!_ He cried, and I couldn't stand by and let him suffer. I couldn't let him make the biggest mistake of his lives.

I brushed back the fringe on his forehead. "I still have work to do," I murmured.

He caught my hand and pulled it against his hearts. "Stay. Please stay. I can't do this without you."

I smiled slightly and pulled my hand away. "I've already stayed longer than I should. This isn't my time anymore, Doctor, I have to go."

He swallowed, but let me go. "Rose?"

I paused. "Yeah?"

"Will I ever see you again?"

I closed my eyes, but allowed myself to look back at him. It broke my heart to see the pleading look in his eyes. I gave him a reassuring smile. "Someday soon, yeah."

He smiled back. "I love you."

My heart soared—as it always did when he spoke those words—and my smile widened into my tongue-in-teeth grin. "I love you, too."

He lay back down then, and I left.

Time wrapped around me and propelled me forward as I fought my way through the vortex. I could see my target clearly—and with each moment that I got closer my heart pounded even harder than it had before. I was so close now. I could hear him so clearly. I needed just another moment more.

And that's when I felt it, a sharp blow that knocked me off of my path. Words—new words that would change everything. Words that I could feel sealing my fate for the end of this journey.

_Silence will fall._

I had not realized how powerful certain moments in time could be until I was directly faced with them. The force of these three small words sent me tumbling end over end so fast that I couldn't see where I was going. I couldn't even tell if I was still in the correct time stream.

I gave a shout, and crashed straight down onto hard pavement.

I pushed myself up from the ground as the anomaly closed above me, and spat. "You really like to pack a punch don't you?" I glared up at the sky. "What was that about then, ay? Silence will fall? What does that even _mean_?"

The grey clouds offered me no answers, and I grumbled as I forced myself up to my feet.

I was just about to leave, when my eyes caught sight of a familiar head of wild brown hair.

I smiled as I watched Mara leave Jenny's car to enter school grounds. I watched her meet up with another girl who dragged her over to a group of children. I glanced around until my eyes caught sight of a newspaper stand, and grabbed one of the papers.

_January 7, 2006._ I knew this day. This was Mara's first and last day of school. She would be about eleven now.

Watching her talk to the children she'd just met, I thought back to the tape my mum had made of my first day of school. I suddenly longed for everything I had missed out on with Mara as she grew up. Her first words, the first time she'd walked—her first day of school. Every little first—good or bad—that I should have been there for.

I swallowed down hard. I wished the Doctor was with me. My hand absentmindedly came up to my crystal, and I closed my eyes. If I concentrated, I could still feel him. Our bond was being stretched further than it ever had been before, but it was there. A small spark within my chest.

I concentrated as hard as I could before sending a message I could only hope would reach his ears.

"_I love you."_

* * *

_POV: Mara_

_Date: May 18, 2013_

I rarely spoke to either Jenny or Dad anymore.

Jenny had stayed with our Dad long after I'd left. She had even been with him when he finally regenerated, and I didn't envy her that experience. I was terrified for when my own time to regenerate would come, and that was without a firsthand look at what exactly was going to happen.

Shortly after his regeneration, Jenny had finally left. Dad had a new companion now named Amy. I had met her. Jenny and I both liked her well enough, but staying on the TARDIS without Mum was just too painful. Even Dad had given up searching for her, which I knew broke both my heart and Jenny's, and that made it all the more painful to stay.

We were still pulled into his bigger adventures, of course. When the universe was in chaos he would cry out for our help, and we would always come. We were there for the opening of the Pandorica, and we were there to clean up the mess that followed. We were there to watch him die, and we were there when he lived.

Jenny and I could never say that we liked River Song. I wish I could say that the fact that she married our Dad when Mum was still out there had nothing to do with it, but in truth, that was the entire basis of the dislike. Despite that dislike, however, we still came to comfort our Dad when she died. He deserved to be loved, after all.

And we were there for the worst day—the day the Ponds died.

Jenny and I had come to love Amy and Rory just as much as Dad did throughout their years traveling on the TARDIS. At times they were like a second set of parents, although by the time they finally left the TARDIS, Jenny and I were far older than they were. It was only ten years for them, but it was far longer for us.

That didn't make it any less heartbreaking.

I never told Dad, but I went back to New York to visit the Ponds one last time. There was only one small window of opportunity, and I jumped at the chance.

I hesitated, but knocked on their door.

"Who is it?" a distinctly Scottish voice barked.

I smiled to myself. "A very old friend."

The door was yanked open then, and I was met with the eyes of one Mrs. Amelia Williams. She smiled when she saw me, and threw her arms up. "Oh, c'mere."

"Hello," I said, and gently pulled her in for a hug. Her body was frail at this point—she was well into her eighties—but if I closed my eyes I could still see that fiery ginger I had met so long ago.

We sat and talked for the whole night. I told her all about the Doctor's latest companion, Clara Oswald, and she told me stories from her life.

"Where's Rory?" I had asked at one point.

She had gone quiet for a moment, and pulled down a picture from the mantle. "He died. Three years ago now." She handed me the picture.

I swallowed, and looked down. I smiled at the photo—it was one of Amy, Rory, their son, and River. "I love seeing a happy family together."

She chuckled. "Speaking of—has your father found Rose yet?"

I stroked the picture frame, and handed it back while avoiding her eyes. "He stopped looking a long time ago, you know that."

"Have you?"

My eyes shot up to hers then, and I reached up to absently finger my TARDIS key. "I'd like to think I still have hope that she's out there."

I didn't leave Amy's company until long after she had fallen asleep. I smiled slightly as I watched her eyes flutter while she slept. Her face was so relaxed that she almost looked like the woman I remembered.

Carefully, gently, I took the picture from her grasp and set it back on the mantle. I pulled an afghan from the back of her couch and wrapped it around her. I kissed her cheek, and reached out for the pad and pen next to her phone.

_Amelia,_

_Think of us when you look at the stars. I know we'll be thinking of you._

_Much love,_

_Mara._

I tucked the message into the corner of the picture frame on the mantle, and quietly left the house.

That was the last time I ever spoke to Amelia Pond.

I heard him calling as I set the coordinates into my Vortex Manipulator. He didn't need to shout so loud—I could feel what was happening without the screaming in my head. My hearts pounded out a frantic beat as I quickly smashed down on the buttons and hurled myself through the vortex to where he was waiting.

I stumbled slightly as I landed, and glanced around. The whole planet was dark and filled with headstones. The air was cold and smelled of death, and I shivered. I knew where we were.

"Mara," a familiar voice said.

I turned, and found all three of them standing around River's headstone. "It's time, isn't it?"

Dad swallowed, and nodded. "The question has been asked."

"That can't be right," Jenny said, and pointed to the headstone. "She can't be buried here."

"What do you mean she can't be buried here? She's not dead." Clara's eyebrows were pulled together in confusion.

Dad glanced between us and Clara. "Long story. But her grave can't be here."

Behind us, I heard something rustle, and turned. My eyes widened as three men with blank white faces dressed in long coats and top hats advanced toward us. "Doctor!" Clara exclaimed, and pointed at the men.

"This man must fall as all men must. The fate of all is always dust," the men whispered.

"Cheery bunch, this lot," I said as we backed up. Dad tried to use his sonic on them, but it was no use. They kept advancing on us with claws extended.

"Dad, anytime you think up a plan would be good," Jenny said.

Clara scrambled behind us. "What do you think that gravestone really is?"

"The gravestone?" Dad asked breathlessly as we collectively tried to think of a way to defend ourselves against our attackers.

"Maybe it's a false grave!" Clara shouted.

Jenny turned to the grave and pointed her sonic. An entrance opened and she let out a laugh. "Clara, you're brilliant!"

"Of course!" Dad exclaimed as he pushed both Clara and I towards the tomb. "They'd never bury my wife out here!"

"Your what?" Clara demanded.

"The man who lies will lie no more," the men whispered, "when this man lies at Trenzalore."

"Seriously, what are they?" I demanded as Dad closed the entrance to the tomb.

"No idea," he said, "but I don't think I want to stick around to find out. Onwards?"

Jenny and I exchanged a look. _"Why would River have a tombstone out here?"_

She shrugged. _"Why does River do anything?"_

I snorted, and followed Clara as Dad took us deeper into the tomb.


	15. Chapter 14

**Early update because my week is about to get very hectic. Good luck to everyone taking final exams right now! **

**Bit of an announcement. Update days are about to increase to twice a week. There are a number of reasons behind this change, and what it means is that from now on you all will be receiving updates on Wednesday and Saturdays.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 14.**

"_Family don't end with blood."_

_ -Jim Beaver_

* * *

_POV: Rose_

_Date: October, 2007_

I stumbled only slightly as I fell through the time pocket onto hard asphalt. I knew this was not a timeline I should even be able to access anymore. It had been rewritten a long time ago now.

"Rose!" I turned as a familiar man came running towards me.

I couldn't help myself—I smiled widely. "Maybelle!"

Don laughed and spun me around in a tight embrace. "What the hell are you doing here? Thought you and that Doctor of yours couldn't come here once the walls were closed."

I swallowed, and reflexively reached up for my crystal. "It's complicated. Technically I shouldn't even be here. This whole timeline shouldn't exist anymore."

His eyebrows pulled together. "What do you mean?"

I bit my lip, and glanced around. We were on some sort of tarmac. "Where's Stone?"

Maybelle nodded towards a large building behind me. "In the Tower."

I spun around and headed for the building he'd pointed out. He half ran to keep up with my long strides. "Might as well catch up with the pair of you while I'm stuck here."

"What?" he asked. "Rose, what's going on? Where's that Doctor of yours? And that girl—Jenny? How did you even get here?"

I smiled at him over my shoulder. "I'll explain it all once we find Stone."

He opened the door to the building with a keycard, and quickly stepped in front of me before I could enter. "Rose, just tell me what's going on?"

"Rose!"

I peeked over Maybelle's shoulder, and saw Stone rushing over to us. "Jim!" I shouted, and pushed Maybelle out of the way so I could hug him. "I missed the pair of you."

"What are you doing here?" Jim asked as we parted. "More importantly _how_ are you here?"

I glanced between the two, and sighed. "You boys care for a drink first?"

Don glanced at Jim, but waved me inside. "Follow me."

Before I told them anything, both Jim and Don told me all about how they were contributing to rebuilding the Earth. According to them, I had only been gone for a year and in that time they had managed to begin to rebuild bits and pieces of civilization.

"All of the camps have been destroyed," Maybelle said, "and most of the survivors have been reunited with their families."

I had nodded along until they came to the end of their story. Once they were finished, I started my tale. I told them all about the crack in the sky and the Angels. Their eyes went round when I described the second fall of Canary Wharf. I finished my story with the message my older self had given me. That when the time came, the Doctor wasn't going to want to save me.

They sat in silence for a long moment once I stopped speaking.

"You must love this Doctor," Maybelle said finally.

I nodded. "Very much."

I felt a hand on my leg, and glanced up at Stone. "I wish there was something we could do to help you, Rose."

I covered his hand with my own, and smiled weakly. "Mara would love you two. I used to tell her stories about you."

"Did you ever tell her about Flemming?" Don asked.

I swallowed, and nodded. "George was a traitor, but we were friends once."

"He's still in prison," Stone said. "He's in for life."

"Good," I said gruffly, and stood. I could hear it again—the call—the whispering in my ears that was steadily growing louder as I got closer and closer to my destination.

"You have to go, don't you?" Maybelle said.

I nodded, and pulled them both in for one last hug. "I missed you both."

Stone chuckled. "Well, even in this new timeline of yours, you know where to find us."

I let out a short laugh, and swiped at a tear. "You wouldn't know me."

Maybelle chuckled. "I think we'd still care for you. No matter what timeline or dimension we were in."

My heart filled with affection as I kissed first Maybelle, and then Stone's cheek. "Take care of yourselves, yeah?"

"Always," Stone said.

I stepped away from them, and closed my eyes to concentrate. A fissure easily opened above my head. I turned and jumped through it without looking back.

* * *

_POV: Jenny_

_Date: Unknown_

"I thought Rose was your wife," Clara said as we moved deeper into the catacombs.

Dad swallowed. "She was—is." He glanced at Mara and I.

"Then how could River be your wife?" Clara demanded.

I let out a slow breath. "Even time travelers get lonely, Clara." I shot her a smile. "She was sanctioned by Mara and I, if you're wondering."

Dad's companion paused in her tracks, blinked, and continued walking. "So how come I met your dead wife, then?" Clara asked.

I felt how uncomfortable Dad was with her curiosity. "Oh well, you know how it is when you lose someone close to you. I sort of made a back-up."

Mara snorted. "You do that for all the wives you lose?"

Dad paused, and glanced back at her with a closed off expression, but we could feel his defeat. "I do all that I can for the people I love."

"Doctor!" Clara cried when the faceless men appeared.

"Run!" he shouted, and grabbed her hand to yank her back. We sprinted down the long corridors, and I couldn't help but feel exhilarated as they chased us. I loved this part—the running.

"There!" Mara shouted, and pointed towards a door.

Dad quickly sonicked it open as we ran, and yanked it as wide as it would go. "Come on, quickly, we're in!"

"Doctor!" Clara shrieked.

"Clara!" Dad quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the faceless man who had gotten ahold of her.

Mara and I slammed the door shut as they shot through. One of the men got his hand stuck in the jamb, and we had to shove against him with all our might before he pulled it back and the door shut properly.

"Yowzah," Dad said breathlessly.

I slowly turned my head to stare at him and raised an eyebrow. "Yowzah? Really?"

"What?" he demanded.

Mara could only laugh and patted his shoulder. "Maybe you should just stick with Geronimo, yeah?"

"What!" he shouted indignantly. "It's a word!"

I chuckled and glanced over at Clara. My eyebrows pulled down in concern when I saw her stumbling. "Clara?"

Dad lurched forward to help her. "Hey, it's okay. You're fine. The dimensioning forces this deep in the TARDIS—they can make you a bit giddy."

"I know, I know," she said, and then her eyes widened. "How do I know? How do I know that?"

I glanced at Mara. She shrugged; she had no idea what they were talking about either. That was the problem with missing out on adventures with Dad.

Dad tentatively reached out for her, and I didn't need the empathic connection to feel his protective side flaring to life. "Clara, it's okay. You're fine."

She squeezed her eyes shut. "Have we…have we done this before?" Her eyes opened wide and she stared at him. "We have done this before. Climbing through a wrecked TARDIS."

"Guys, we should probably go soon," Mara said in an urgent tone.

"You said things—things I'm not supposed to remember." Clara's fingers curled even tighter around the metal grating she was holding.

Dad glanced up at the door. "We can't do this now. The TARDIS is a ruin. The telepathic circuits are awakening memories you shouldn't even have." He shook her shoulders. "Clara? Clara?"

She wrenched herself away from him. "What do you mean, you keep meeting me? You said I died. How could I die?"

"Do you know anything about this?" Mara asked.

"She's the impossible girl he goes on about," I whispered.

"That is not a conversation you should even remember," Dad muttered, and I knew that dangerous tone in his voice.

"What do you mean I died?" Clara asked again, and her voice broke over the words.

Mara and I lurched back when the faceless men reappeared. "The girl who died he tried to save. She'll die again inside his grave."

"Guys now would be an excellent time to run!" I shouted.

Dad shoved us towards an exit. "Go!"

We sprinted upstairs passed decaying fragmented pieces of TARDIS until finally we reached the open air. I gasped and the cold shot straight down into my lungs. The space we were in was wide and flat with only one structure—a pair of doors.

"The doors require a key. The key is a word. And the word is the Doctor's—"

"Here I am," Dad said as we stepped out into the light. "Late to my own funeral. Glad you could make it." He tipped his head to a woman I recognized as Madame Vastra's wife, Jenny. "Jenny."

"Open the door, Doctor. Speak, and open your tomb," a man elegantly dressed in a Victorian top hat and coat demanded.

"No."

He raised an eyebrow. "Because you know what's in there."

"_Because he's a stubborn arse," _Mara said.

I had to hide my smile.

Dad pointed to the doors in question. "I will not open those doors."

"_Who is this man?" _I asked.

"_Simeon,"_ Dad's voice—even in his head—was filled with hatred.

The man—Simeon—stood tall with an arrogance about him. I could tell just from his posture that he'd already decided that he'd won. "The key is a word lost to time. A secret hidden in the deepest shadow and known to you alone." He leaned forward. "The answer to a question."

Dad took one long step forward to go nose-to-nose with Simeon. "I will not open my tomb." His voice was a low growl.

"Doctor…" Simeon tipped his head. "What is your name?"


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15.**

"_Pains of love be sweeter far than all other pleasures are."_

_ -John Dryden_

* * *

_POV: Rose_

_Date: July 8, 2006_

I no longer fell when I landed.

I stepped out of the fissure and ran the short distance that my momentum carried me. I pulled in a deep breath and closed my eyes. The air was fresh, but I could detect the faint smell of smoke.

I opened my eyes and spun around on my heel.

And there he was.

The TARDIS was a few feet away and she called out to me sadly. Our Time Lord was in pain, I didn't need a telepathic connection to see that. He stood watching the Torchwood Tower burn with a rigid posture.

I swallowed, and stepped forward. I couldn't stand to see my Doctor in pain. He wouldn't remember this, I would make certain of that.

"I almost forgot that you burned it."

The Doctor spun around on one heel to face me with wide, red-rimmed eyes. "Rose?"

I half-smiled. "Hey there stranger."

He started to run for me, but stopped. "You—you can't be here." He reached up and scrubbed at his eyes. "I must be hallucinating again."

My heart dropped at the word _again_, and I stepped forward to take his hand. His eyes widened even more when I squeezed his fingers. "I'm real, Doctor."

He pulled my hand up to his lips then and closed his eyes. I stepped closer as he inhaled deeply. His eyes opened and narrowed. "You're from the future."

I raised my eyebrows. "How could you possibly know that?"

"Your scent," he stated, as if it were that obvious. He searched my eyes then. "How old are you?"

My lip twitched. "Oi, it's impolite to ask a woman her age."

"Rose."

I let out a slow breath. "Thirty-seven."

His eyes narrowed even further. "But…you look the same."

I brought my free hand up to stroke his sideburn. "You'll figure it out soon enough."

The Doctor swallowed. "Rose, I—"

I stopped his sentence with a swift kiss. "Save it for when it needs to be said."

"When will that be?" he whispered.

I felt an affectionate smile creep across my face, and stepped back. "Soon, I promise."

He gripped my hand even tighter when I tried to pull myself away. "Don't go."

I swallowed. His eyes looked so heartbroken. "I have to." The Doctor closed his eyes then, and I reached forward to touch his temple with my fingertips. He would forget this by the time I left. I pulled in a shaky breath. "I love you, Doctor."

It was almost easy to open up the fissure, and I turned to enter it.

"I love you too, Rose," he said quietly.

I closed my eyes, and forced myself to leave.

* * *

_POV: Mara_

_Date: Unknown_

I held my breath as Dad stared Simeon down.

"The Doctor's friends," the villain ordered, "stop their hearts."

The faceless men hissed and slowly started to approach us. Jenny and I immediately went back-to-back and pulled out our screwdrivers. "I don't think so," I said in a low voice.

"Madam, boys, combat formation. They are unarmed!" the Sontaran named Strax cried enthusiastically.

"So are we!" Madame Vastra's Jenny squeaked.

"Do not divulge our military secrets!"

"Stop this. Leave them alone!" Dad shouted.

"Your name, Doctor. Answer me," Simeon commanded.

"Doctor?" Clara's voice was shaky as the faceless man reached out for her.

"Don't tell him, Dad!" Jenny shouted.

"Doctor who?" Simeon demanded. "Doctor who?"

The faceless men reached through the sonic barrier Jenny and I had created to grasp a hand around our left hearts. I gasped, and tried to step back as the man facing me reached for my other one.

"Please, stop it!" Dad cried as his eyes fell on Jenny and I. "Stop it—they're innocent!"

Simeon glanced at him. "The Doctor's children are hardly innocent."

I struggled to break free as the hands around my hearts squeezed tighter. "Dad…" I gasped.

"Please!" Dad begged.

Abruptly, the large doors leading into Dad's tomb opened with a loud creak. As soon as they were open, the faceless men released us. I sucked in a loud breath of air and fell forward—barely catching myself before my face hit the dirt.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, and glanced over at Jenny. She offered me a smile, and I smiled back. There was that thrill—we were alive.

Dad ran to check on us. "Is everyone alright?" he glanced in my eyes and then Jenny's. "Is everyone okay?"

We nodded. "Just another Tuesday," Jenny coughed out.

He smiled slightly, and then his eyes widened. "Clara!" He scrambled towards her. "Clara? Clara, are you okay?"

She coughed. "That was not nice."

Dad yanked her in for a hug. "I know. I'm sorry." He kissed the side of her head before turning back to Simeon.

Jenny helped me to my feet. _"You okay little sister?"_

I nodded. _"Don't call me that."_

She smiled at my response and gave my hand a squeeze before dropping it.

Dad took a step towards the doors. "Not then, Doctor Simeon—or Mister G Intelligence—whatever I call you; do you know what's in there?"

"For me, peace at last," the man in question purred. "For you, pain everlasting—won't you invite us in?"

Dad's eyes shot to the ground. He pulled in a sharp breath, and glanced up at the doors. With a mighty shove, he forced them all the way open, and waved us inside.

He squeezed my hand as I passed, and I glanced up. "Don't be afraid," he murmured.

I nodded, and squeezed his hand back before continuing to follow everyone inside. I glanced around at the dimly lit room—it was the console room of the TARDIS, only twice the size I would normally expect, and overgrown with vines. I walked over to stand beside Clara, and my eyes settled on the bright light that was slowly spinning around over the spot where the console should be.

In the distance, I could hear the TARDIS' Cloister Bell ringing. She was just as unsettled by this tomb as I was, and as I glanced up I could finally see why. We were inside the TARDIS—if it were blown up to ten times its size.

"What's that?" Clara asked, and nodded towards the light.

Dad glanced at her. "What were you expecting, a body? Bodies are boring—I've had loads of them." He waved a hand. "Nah, that's not what my tomb is for."

I pulled in a breath—I could feel the power that was pulsing from that light in the soles of my boots. Dad always said that all Time Lords could sense each other's presence no matter what form they were in. I was afraid I already knew what the light was.

"But what is the light?" Vastra asked in her well-mannered voice.

"It's beautiful," her Jenny murmured.

"Should I destroy it?" Strax asked, and I had to suppress a smile.

"Shut up, Strax," Vastra commanded.

Clara shuffled on her feet. "Doctor, explain. What is that?"

Dad's shoulders slumped as he stared at the light. "The tracks of my tears."

"Less poetry, Doctor, just tell them," Simeon snapped.

Dad's hands cupped around the air in front of him. "Time travel is damage. It's like a tear in the fabric of reality." He waved a hand towards the light. "That is the scar tissue of my journey through the universe. My path through time from Galleyfray…to Trenzalore."

I swallowed, and carefully stepped forward to take his hand. He smiled down at me, and kissed the top of my head as he pulled out his sonic. He pointed it at the light, and focused on it for a moment.

Suddenly, a flurry of voices echoed around the room. His voices from his many different lives. The sound sent a chill down my spine.

"My own personal time tunnel," he muttered. "All the days—" He squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed his forehead with his free hand. "Even the ones I, er…even the ones that I haven't lived yet."

He collapsed and I tried to catch him. "Dad!" I could feel the pain he was in. It was like a fire that had spread across every cell in his body.

He glanced up at me with bleary eyes and shut off our link. I winced at the loss, but was grateful. I needed to be able to think clearly.

"Doctor!" Clara lunged forward and slid to her knees at his side.

"No, no. I shouldn't be here—the paradoxes—it's very bad." He urged between gasps and wildly reached out for both Clara's hand and mine.

"No, no, no, what are you doing? Somebody stop him!" Dad shouted frantically, and I could see the wild fear in his eyes.

Simeon glanced back at us. "The Doctor's life is an open wound. And an open wound can be entered." He turned back to the light.

"No, it would destroy you," Dad said helplessly.

I glanced up at my sister. Her muscles were straining to keep her in place. We both knew that if anyone made a move for Simeon, he would jump. We were, quite literally, paralyzed in our fear.

"Not at all," Simeon hissed. "It will kill me. It will destroy _you_. I can rewrite your every living moment. I can turn every one of your victories into defeats. Poison every friendship." He glanced at Jenny and I. "_Taint_ every loved one. Deliver _pain_ to your every breath."

I shivered, and helped prop Dad up when he struggled. "It will burn you up. Once you go through, you can't come back. You will be scattered along my timeline like confetti."

Simeon shrugged. "It matters not, Doctor. You thwarted me at every turn. Now, you will give me peace, as I take my revenge on every _second_ of your life." He smirked. "Goodbye. Goodbye, _Doctor_." He took a step back.

"No!" Jenny, Clara, and I shouted; but it was too late. He was in the time stream.

Dad let out a bloodcurdling scream.


	17. Chapter 16

**Early update - yay - because I won't be able to post tomorrow. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 16.**

"_True love is selfless. It is prepared to sacrifice."_

_ -Sadhu Vaswani_

* * *

_POV: Rose_

_Date: Before the Time War_

I could feel that this was it. I was so close that I could hear the voices of Galleyfray shouting in my ears. The Vortex was pushing me as hard as it could back the way I came, but I pressed back just as hard. I only had what would quantifiably be mere inches to go to reach my destination.

I cried out when the Vortex shoved me back another inch. I could feel my muscles straining—I wasn't going to last much longer against the time winds as they howled around me. I was overcome with the urge to throw my head back and howl with them, but I resisted. I would not be swept away into dust.

That's when I felt her.

She was like a great heat at the back of my mind as she lent me her strength. Warmth spread down through my limbs into the very tips of my fingers, and I pushed against the Vortex with a strangled cry.

Her song filled my mind as a fissure opened up before me, and I remembered. I remembered the golden light and the words that had been calling out to me for so long now. Bad Wolf.

I rolled across soft grass, and let out a slow breath once I came to a stop.

I slowly opened my eyes, and stared up at an orange sky.

I smiled, and laughed. The sound reminded me of her song, and as I sat up it echoed out from me in ripples. Carefully, I stood, and felt her power flow down into my toes and pulse out into the ground beneath my feet. I closed my eyes for a moment to concentrate on finding where I needed to go, and my feet started moving of their own accord.

I allowed myself to walk for miles before I came across any kind of civilization.

People stared as I walked down the stone streets. Some cowered before me, and others averted their eyes as I passed. As I continued to walk, I grew more confused. Why did they seem to fear me?

My eyes grazed over the town, and I felt them narrow as I took in my surroundings. The whole town seemed to be in a state of decay. The buildings all had peeling paint and cracked windows. The stones of the street were broken and fragmented, with mud bubbling up in the wide spaces.

And what's worse, the people didn't look much better. Their faces were dirtied and bloody in some cases. I counted countless bruises and cringed at the number of malnourished bodies.

What was going on here?

My eyes finally settled on a tall, white wall with a high gate. It was protected by several posted guards.

I swallowed as I stared up at it. Something was very wrong here. I glanced over and caught the eyes of a young family that was watching me. The mother cowered down and attempted to snatch her little boy out of my sight as she clutched her baby closer to her chest.

I stepped towards them, and tried to look as nonthreatening as possible. "S'cuse me, can you tell me what's going on here?"

The little boy stepped forward, and the mother started to shake. "Get back here, Rass."

"Rass, is it?" I asked, and leaned down so I could look him in the eyes. "Can you tell me why your mum is so afraid of me?"

"Because we saw you come from the sky," the little boy said.

I glanced up at his mum. "Well you can tell your mum that I don't mean any harm. I'm looking for the council. If you could point me the right way, then I'll be gone."

"_The council_," she hissed. "You're one of them, aren't you? Well, you can tell the Pythia that we won't supply the capital with any more _"workers"_. If they want 'em, they're gonna have to come down and take 'em for themselves." She yanked the boy away from me, and hurried inside.

My eyes narrowed. The what?

Suddenly, the gates to the white wall opened and several ranks of soldiers poured out. The street descended into chaos around me. People screamed and sprinted for their huts—overturning baskets and trampling over their neighbors in their haste to hide.

I raised an eyebrow as the soldiers surrounded me. "Morning, boys. Or is it evening? You'll have to forgive me, my time senses are a bit off at the moment."

One of them pointed what appeared to be a long sword in my direction. "You will appear before the Seers."

My other eyebrow rose, and I slowly put up my hands. "Yes, well then…lead the way."

* * *

_POV: Jenny_

_Date: Unknown_

Dad let out another scream, and Clara looked up at Mara with tears in her eyes. "What's wrong with him? What's happening?"

"He's being rewritten," Vastra said quietly. "Simeon is attacking his entire timeline. He's dying all at once." She looked to the light that was now turning an angry red color. "The Dalek Asylum, Androzani."

I flinched. I could feel a pain creeping along my limbs. I knew by the feel of it that I, too, was being erased with Dad.

"What did you say?" Clara demanded. "Did you say the Dalek Asylum?"

"Now he's dying in London, with us," she whispered.

"It is done," Simeon's voice hissed from all around us, and I shuddered and collapsed.

"Jenny!" Mara shouted, before collapsing herself.

I felt Vastra's hands cup my face as I stared above me with bleary eyes. Everything was starting to get blurry. "Oh, dear Goddess," she gasped.

"What's wrong?" I heard her Jenny ask, but it was like hearing someone speak from underwater.

"A universe without the Doctor…" She stared down at me. "There will be consequences."

"No. Please, stop. My life—my whole life is burning," I heard my Dad call out weakly, and I wanted to go to him.

"Dad," I whispered hoarsely. And felt the fire crawl inside my lungs.

I felt Vastra release me, and vaguely heard her leave the room. I forced myself upright enough that I could crawl over to where Mara sat beside our dad.

She stared up at me with feverish eyes. "Jenny, the power…"

"Shh," I murmured, and collapsed beside her. "I know, just hush now. It'll be okay."

She let out a dry laugh. "We're dying, Jen."

I took her hand, and felt Dad reach out to take my free one. "But it's going to be okay," I said.

Clara stared at the three of us for a moment before jumping to her feet. "I have to go in there."

"No!" Dad struggled to roll over to face her. "Please, please no."

She glanced back at him. "But this is what I've already done. You've already seen me do it." She turned to the light. "I'm the Impossible Girl, and this is why."

In my haze, I couldn't be sure of what was real, but I could almost see River standing off to the side. "Whatever you're thinking of doing, don't."

Clara stepped towards the light. "If I step in there, what happens?"

Another voice sent a shock straight down my spine, and my eyes flew wide open. "The time winds will tear you into a million pieces. A million versions of you—living and dying all over time and space—but they won't be _you_. They'll be echoes. Copies at best."

"Mum," Mara gasped.

I turned my head, and my eyes settled on her. She looked as though she'd just been in a fight. Her hair was wild, her clothes were in tatters, and her eyes looked weary. I wanted to call out to her, but she was focused on Clara with a sad expression. "I can keep you from burning up, but not for long."

"But the echoes could save the Doctor, right? And Mara and Jen?" Clara asked, and turned her head to look at both River and Mum. "And that's the point, isn't it?"

"But the echoes won't be you," River said. "The real you will die. They'll just be copies."

"But they'll be real enough to save them," Clara countered, and shrugged. "It's like my mum said. The soufflé isn't the soufflé, the soufflé is the recipe." Her eyes settled on where Mara, Dad, and I were all splayed out across the floor. "It's the only way to save them, isn't it?"

Mum swallowed, and River nodded.

It was in this moment that Vastra ran back inside. "The stars are going out…and Jenny and Strax are dead." She stared down at us. "There must be something we can do."

Clara half smiled. "Well, how about that?" She stepped closer to the light. "I'm soufflé girl after all."

"No. Please," Dad whispered.

Clara kept her eyes fixed on the light. "If this works, get out of here as fast as you can. All of you. And spare me a thought now and then." She chuckled nervously.

"No, Clara," Mara wheezed.

She paused. "In face, you know what?" She looked down at us from over her shoulder. "Run. Run, you clever boy, and remember me."

"No, Clara!" Dad shouted.

The light grew blinding, and I gasped as air forced its way back into my lungs. I coughed, and rolled over. I glanced up at Mara, and we both smiled. We looked over at Dad, and he crawled up to his knees to kiss us both on the forehead.

"My girls," he murmured, and then stood up quickly.

"Dad, she's here," Mara said quietly.

He spun around and pressed a finger to his lips. Mara and I exchanged a look, but nodded.

"We're all restored. That's all that matters now," Vastra said.

"No we are not all restored," Dad said as he turned to face the other three. I felt it when he reopened our telepathic network, and let out a breath of relief.

I nearly jumped in surprise when River marched over to him. "You can't go in there. It's your own time stream, for God's sake."

"I have to get her back," Dad muttered.

I could see Mum leaning against one of the TARDIS struts, and opened my mouth to call out to her. She shook her head, and offered me a slight smile.

I forced myself to stay quiet.

"Of course," River said, "but not like this."

"But how?" Vastra's Jenny asked.

"Is she still alive?" Vastra asked. "It killed Doctor Simeon."

"Clara's got one advantage over the Great Intelligence," Dad said.

"Which is?"

He glanced at Mum. "Me."

Mum smiled, but stayed quiet.

"Doctor, please listen to me. At least _hear _me," River begged.

"Now, if I don't come back, and I might not…"

"Doctor!" River shouted.

"Go to the TARDIS. Jenny and Mara can fly you home." He turned to us. "She's yours now, girls. Take care of her for me, yeah?"

I swallowed, and felt Mara take my hand. "Yeah."

"There has to be another way. Use the TARDIS, use something. Save her, yes, but for God's sake be sensible!" She raised a hand to slap Dad, and he quickly spun around to catch it.

My breath caught in my throat, and I could see it do the same in River's.

"How are you even doing that?" she asked. "I'm not really here."

"You are always here to me," Dad whispered. "And I always listen, and I can always _see_ you."

River's face softened. "Then why didn't you speak to me?"

Dad glanced up at Mum, and she nodded before walking off the TARDIS platform.

"Because I thought it would hurt too much," he murmured.

River's lips quirked upwards. "I believe I could have coped."

"No," Dad said, "I thought it would hurt _me_." He released her arm. "And I was right."

They stared at each other for a moment before Dad lunged forward to capture River in a kiss. Mara and I glanced at each other, and averted our eyes.

"Since nearly no one else in this room can see you, God knows how that looked," Dad said, and Mara and I looked up again. He was stroking River's face. "There is a time to live, and a time to sleep. You are an echo, River. Like Clara. Like all of us, in the end. My fault, I know, but you should've faded by now."

"It's hard to leave when you haven't said goodbye," River said.

Dad took a step back from her. "Then tell me, because I don't know…how do I say it?"

I felt myself let out an affectionate smile. If there was one thing Dad was incapable of, it was goodbye.

"There's only one way I'd accept," River said, and glanced over to where Mum was reentering the room. "If you ever loved me, say it like you're going to come back."

"Well then…" Dad clapped his hands. "See you around, Professor River Song."

She smiled. "Till the next time, Doctor."

"Don't wait up," he chirped.

"Oh there's one more thing," River said.

Dad let out a wistful smile. "Isn't there always?"

River let out her trademark smirk. "I was mentally linked with Clara. If she's really dead, then how can I still be here?"

"Okay." Dad opened his hands. "How?"

She chuckled. "Spoilers." Slowly, she began to fade away. "Goodbye, sweetie."

Dad smiled to himself, and then looked up at Mum. "Shall we?"

She let out a smile, and stepped up to take Dad's hand. "Just like old times?"

He let out a short laugh. "Anything but."

"Dad!" Mara shouted.

Our parents stepped into Dad's time stream together, and didn't look back.


	18. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17.**

"_Love is a promise."_

_ -Peter Capaldi_

* * *

_POV: Rose_

_Date: The Dark Times_

I was led into a great hall with my hands bound together. The guards had covered my eyes with a blindfold before they led me through the gates to the white wall, and only bothered to take it off as I heard the doors to the building we were in closing.

I looked around. The hall had high vaulted ceilings with great, white pillars holding it up. The floors were a polished marble-like substance and the windows were made of brightly colored stained glass.

I was led up a series of wide steps and forced to kneel in front of three large thrones. Each was filled with a tall woman clad in elegant red robes.

The woman to the left had dark brunette hair, the one to the right was a blonde, and the woman in the center was a stunning ginger. They all had matching and equally cold blue eyes that stared down at me with what I could only describe as pure hatred.

"The villagers say she fell from the sky, just as you prophesized she would," one of the soldiers said.

I raised my eyebrows. I supposed it shouldn't be so surprising that my arrival was prophesized.

The woman in the middle stood, and took a step towards me. "Ah yes, the Time Walker, come to spread her false prophecy to overthrow the Sisterhood."

I slowly brought myself to my feet. "How did you know I was coming?"

The woman tilted her head. "We see many things, false prophet. You were not hard to see."

"You're footsteps across the universe are so loud," the blonde said. "They were simple to track."

"Then I can assume you know what I have come to say?"

The woman in front of me stared me up and down. "You have come to warn us of a war that will destroy not only the likes of our world, but the universe as well."

I nodded. "If you could see my arrival, then surely you can see this."

The woman stepped closer, and reached out to poke my cheek with one elegant claw. "What do you call yourself?"

I swallowed. "I have several names. But I am most well known as the Bad Wolf."

All three of them hissed, and the woman took a step back. "You are Quo."

I tilted my head. "How could you know that?"

She marched back up to her throne. "When we eradicated the Quo vermin from our world, they ran to the Vortex to hide from us. They allowed themselves to be scattered by the winds of the universe and they left us with a message. The name of their most powerful weapon—a force that would be sent to destroy us—Bad Wolf." She reached under her throne to pull out a rusty set of shackles.

My eyes widened as she stepped back over to me and forced the shackles over my wrists. "We cannot allow you to walk free."

I tried to struggle against the hold the two guards had on me, but it was no use. There was something in the metal of the cuffs they had clad upon me that kept me from breaking free. The other two women stood, and all three of them led me away from the bright hall into a darker corridor.

The three women—the Pythias, I could only assume—led me down a series of staircases into the deepest parts of their fortress.

One of them opened a large rusting door, and waved the guards forward. I struggled as they forced my hands upwards and connected my shackles to another set that were set in the wall.

The three Pythias entered, and my eyes widened even further when one of them came in carrying a box. "What's that?" I asked.

"This is something that was devised soon after your arrival was foretold," the head Pythia said. "A way for us to turn the weapon the Quo would send to destroy us against them."

"What will it do to me?" I asked.

The one carrying the box set it on a stone alter set up in front of me. "It will burn your body and trap your consciousness. That power will be stored inside of the box. You will become a weapon that will service us."

I struggled against my shackles, and they rattled helplessly. I didn't like the sound of that. "Listen to me! Galleyfray will burn if you don't. There's a man named Davros, he's going to create a weapon of mass destruction. You can't let him. Listen to me!" I knew the Time War was inevitable, but who was to say I couldn't at least prevent one monstrosity from ever being set upon the universe?

The women touched the box and mumbled something. My heart sped up as the gears started working, and I was blinded by a bright light. This wasn't supposed to be how this happened. I was supposed to save the Doctor and return to him and my children, I wasn't supposed to become a weapon. How could my family accept me if I became a weapon? How could I save my Doctor if I became a weapon?

I screamed when I felt myself begin to burn.

* * *

_POV: Mara_

_Date: Unknown_

When Clara and Dad returned from Dad's time stream, Jenny and I knew something was very wrong. Mum wasn't anywhere to be seen, Clara was wrapped up in Dad's arms, and Dad's face was as white as a sheet. Not one of those things was a good indication.

"Dad," Jenny said, and ran forward to help him.

"We need to get to the TARDIS," Dad said, "she needs more help than I can give her here."

Jenny and I stayed with Clara in the infirmary while Dad dropped of Madame Vastra and her gang.

"Do you think it was really her?" I whispered.

Jenny glanced up from the monitor she was focusing on. "I don't know."

"I think…" I swallowed. "If I concentrate, I think I can _feel_ her. Here, on the TARDIS."

"You're starting to sound like Dad," my sister commented dryly.

"And you're starting to sound like me," I shot back.

Her eyes flickered up to mine, and she sighed. "I just don't want you to get your hopes up, Mara. Mum's been…gone, for a long time now. Even if she was back, do you honestly believe her and Dad could just pick back up from where they left off centuries ago? A whole _regeneration_ ago?"

I grabbed onto Clara's bedrails as the TARDIS shook. We were reentering the Vortex. "I'd like to think they loved each other enough that some time apart wouldn't matter. They spent half my life apart."

Jenny let out a slow breath. "Mara, you also have to consider the possibility that Mum could be a very different person now. You know how different Dad is—imagine how different she could be. Centuries change a person."

"I know that, I'm not completely naïve," I snapped.

We were quiet then.

Abruptly, the door to the infirmary flew open, and Dad entered carrying a box.

"I thought I had lost this. I had hoped I had lost this." He set down the box with a thunk.

Jenny and I jumped. "What is it?"

I studied it—it was covered in Galleyfrayan symbols. Some of which I could read—others looked like they were from an older dialect. There was on symbol that caught my eye.

My hearts all but stopped. "Does that say what I think it says?"

Dad nodded. "It certainly does. And if I just…" He touched one of the symbols, and a ticking sound started up within the box.

"Well, it's about time," a voice purred.

All three of us swiveled around, and were met with the sight of someone we never thought we'd see again.

"Rose," Dad whispered.

She smirked, and waved. "Hello again."

I reached up to rub my eyes, but she stayed in place. "This can't be real."

"I'm afraid…" Dad gingerly set the box down on one of the countertops. "That it's all-too real." He glanced at Jenny and I. "Do you remember yet?"

Jenny and I glanced at each other, and then at the box. And that's when it hit. I cried out and pressed the heels of my hands against my forehead as the memories came rushing back. Going to Torchwood to find Jenny, seeing the coordinates for Galleyfray, the younger Doctor…all of it.

Mum held up a finger. "Don't tell him everything you know."

"But—" Jenny started.

Dad shook his head. "No, she's right. I can't be allowed to remember everything yet. That would be…disastrous." He glanced at Mum, and then turned his attention to Clara. "Right!" He clapped his hands. "Let's wake her up, shall we?"

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" I asked.

"Only one way to find out," he muttered, and pressed two fingers to her temple.

Clara's eyes flew open and she gasped. She tried to fly to her feet, but Dad pressed her back down by the shoulders. "What happened?" she asked, and began to cough.

Dad glanced at Mum. "You, ah, don't remember?"

She coughed a bit more. "Dunno—a bit, I think. It's like…" She pursed her lips. "It's like trying to remember a dream. I remember Simeon jumping into your time stream, and I remember jumping in to save you lot." She looked first Dad, and then Jenny and I up and down. "By the looks of it, I succeeded."

"You don't…" Dad swallowed nervously. "You don't remember anything else?"

Clara paused. "I think…I remember singing, and a…bright light, and a woman. She took my hand and led me back to you…" She looked up at Dad. "Doctor, who was she?"

Dad straightened up, and looked over at Mum. "An old…friend, of mine."

"Like River?" Clara asked.

I couldn't help but feel a small stab of irritation that she would compare my mum to River. Mum was nothing like River Song.

"Sort of, but…from a _long_ time ago," Dad said, "a whole lifetime ago, really."

Mum swallowed, and stepped into Clara's line of sight. "Hello Clara, we met earlier. My name's Rose."

Clara's eyebrows rose to her hairline, and she looked to Jenny and I for confirmation. I nodded. She looked to the Doctor with wide eyes, and he nodded. "Well then." She hopped to her feet delicately, and held out her hand. "It's an honor to finally meet you."

Mum's lips tightened and it unsettled me that I couldn't tell what she was feeling. I tried to reach out to her, but all I could feel was empty space where her warm presence should be.

"No touch," she said quietly.

"Mum," Jenny said, and pushed herself away from the counter she was leaning on. "What happened to you?"

Mum laughed, and the hollowness to the sound made my throat thick. I swallowed down the lump. "That's a long story."

Dad reached out for one of the stools. "Well, we've got nothing but time."

Mum's eyes searched his face, and she finally let out a weary breath. Her shoulders sagged. "Fine. Doctor, have you ever heard of the Pythia?"


	19. Chapter 18

**Many thanks to Tscheby, for your review. :) Merry Christmas to those that celebrate!**

* * *

**Chapter 18.**

_"You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have."_

_-Unknown_

* * *

_POV: Rose_

_Date: The Time War_

Anyone who ever said that hell was hot was a liar. Anyone who ever said that hell was freezing was a dreamer. Hell was this. Hell was nothing.

I barely remembered what my life used to be like before this. I forgot the little things. I forgot the feeling of rain on my face and sun on my skin. I forgot the taste of chips and the smell of the sea. I forgot the feeling of a ground under my feet and the sight of a sky over my head. I forgot what it felt like when the Doctor would kiss me, or when Mara and Jenny would hug me.

In the beginning I tried to count the days. The Pythias would come for me—they wanted to use me against their enemies. And they did. Until Rassilion rose to power. Then I became something forbidden, a whispered secret few would dare to utter. I was carried deep into a vault and left there behind hundreds of locks because they could not destroy me. So I waited, and I slept.

I slept so long I forgot what time was.

There was one thing I hadn't forgotten, and that was why I was enduring this. I could hear him shouting at me throughout time and space—calling to me so I would find him again. I heard the words, and I clung to them.

_No more._ His whisper broke through all the others, and I felt it when his rough hands grabbed me. I felt myself stir as he ran through the halls of the most forbidden objects on Galleyfray. If I was still corporeal, I would have smiled slightly—he'd stolen me. Something warm flickered within me, and it took me longer than I would have liked to recognize the feeling as affection.

_No more. _He set me down in a small shed with a dirt floor, and I felt the immediate release when his mind unconsciously allowed me to come forth. It had been so long since I had been set free.

A memory suddenly jumped to the forefront of my mind—the memory of the last time I was free. I had been used to destroy a planet.

In the beginning, I had remembered every planet I was forced to destroy. I remembered every rock and tree on its surface, and every soul who lived there. Their faces used to haunt me in my limbo sleep, but now I could barely remember my own name.

My name…what was it again?

_No more._ The shouts were far more uniform now; the moment was coming.

I sucked in a deep breath of air as my consciousness sprung forward. I gave myself form—selected from the many faces of his past—and I smiled. I couldn't feel the air enter lungs—I had no lungs—but I could feel _something_. I felt free.

I watched him run to the door, and felt a sadness creep in where my heart should be. He looked so grief-stricken, my Doctor, and so weary from the war. The words were seared onto his hearts, the screams of his people echoed in his head. I blinked with surprise when I felt something stir within me, something I hadn't felt in a long time. Our bond snapped back into place, and I jumped when I could feel his grief, his anger and despair. He needed me, my Doctor.

"Hello? Is somebody there?" He looked out of the barn, out over the never ending desert he had chosen for this meeting. This first meeting with me he would never remember—not until it was far too late.

I could see it now—the ever harsh winds of time blowing around us. I felt as time crept back into where my fingers and toes should be, and I watched. I watched as he looked up at the sky, holding my hand and pointing at stars. I watched us run, and I watched myself change. I watched as my children grew, and I watched as they died in a future far away. Or was it close? I couldn't tell anymore. But no matter what, and no matter when, I saw him. He was so tangled up along my timeline that I almost couldn't see where I ended and he began.

"It's nothing," I told him, and my lips twitched up into a smirk.

"It's just a wolf."

* * *

_POV: Jenny_

_Date: November 23, 2013_

I glanced up from my place by one of the pillars of the Gallery, and waved as Mara approached.

She stopped in front of me, and pulled in a breath. "Are you ready for this?"

I snorted. "Not one bit, let's go."

Mara and I had been searching for a way to free Mum from the box for months now. Between the resources I had at Torchwood, and Mara traveling through time and space, we had finally found an answer.

It wasn't exactly news I was happy to share.

I could feel Dad's nostalgia radiating out of the room he and Clara were in just before we entered.

I swallowed hard. The old TARDIS was disappearing just as Mara and I entered the room.

"He always says that," Dad murmured.

"Dad," Mara called out.

He and Clara both turned to face us. "What?" Dad asked. "What are you even doing here?"

I glanced at my sister. "We have news. We've figured out how to free Mum."

"Well that's wonderful!" Clara cried, and clapped her hands.

"No," Dad said as his eyes flickered between my sister and I. "There's more isn't there? Something else. Something's wrong."

I swallowed. "It's just…"

"The Time Lords have the only key," Mara said.

I felt the moment when Dad's breath caught, and he slowly turned to look at the painting of Galleyfray. He took a few steps towards it, and sunk down on a bench.

Clara's eye flitted between the three of us. "But…Galleyfray's lost. We don't even know if we saved it."

"Exactly," I said hoarsely, and cleared my throat.

Mara walked over to Dad and hesitantly placed a hand on his shoulder. "We're sorry, Dad. We wanted to save her, too."

He reached up and patted her hand. "I know."

Clara glanced at me, and then back to Mara and Dad. "I think I'll just give you all a minute."

I smiled at her, and squeezed her hand as she passed me. "Thank you, Clara."

She half-smiled back. "No problem."

I took in a deep breath and walked over to sit beside Dad. I leaned my head against his shoulder. "We miss her too."

He sighed, and rubbed his face with his free hand. "I know."

"You know we may never fully get her back, but at least we have her in some way," Mara said.

"You know, you should never give up hope."

We all looked up as an older man made his way over to us. I sensed feelings of recognition and nostalgia and…surprise, coming from Dad.

He stood, and took a step towards the man. "I never forget a face."

The man snorted. "I know you don't. And in years to come, you might find yourself revisiting a few, but just the old favorites eh?" He winked, and then nodded towards the painting. "You were curious about this painting, I think. I acquired it in remarkable circumstances. What do you make of the title?"

"Which title?" Mara asked. "No More or Galleyfray Falls?"

The man who must have been the curator chuckled. "Oh, you see, that's where everybody's wrong. It's all one title. _Galleyfray Falls No More_. Now, what would you think that means eh?"

"Galleyfray was saved," I barely dared to whisper the answer.

The curator shrugged. "I'm only a humble curator. I'm sure I wouldn't know."

"Where is it?" Dad demanded.

The curator chuckled. "Where is it indeed? Lost, shush. Perhaps…things do get lost, you know." He gave Dad a knowing look. "And now you must excuse me." His eyes moved to look at the three of us. "Oh, you have a lot to do."

"Do we?" Dad asked, and I could almost feel his hearts pounding out an excited rhythm in his chest. "Is that what I'm supposed to do now? Go looking for Galleyfray and save Rose?"

The man shrugged. "Oh, it's entirely up to you. Your choice, eh? I can only tell you what I would do if I were you." He paused, and let out a short laugh. "Oh, if I were you." The two of them began to laugh "Or perhaps I was you, of course. Or perhaps you are me." He took Dad's hand. "Congratulations, eh?"

"Thank you very much," Dad said, and waved back at us. "Although I couldn't have done it without help."

Mara and I glanced at each other and shared a smile.

The curator grew somber. "Perhaps it doesn't matter either way." He shrugged. "Who knows, eh? Who knows?" He tapped his nose.

Dad watched the older man leave the room with a fond smile on his face. "Who knows…"

"What now, Dad?" I asked.

He turned his eyes on the two of us, and spun around on his heel to walk back in our direction. "You know, Clara sometimes asks me if I dream."

Mara snorted. "Everybody dreams."

"Right," Dad said, "and that's what I tell her. But you know Clara, full of questions that one. She always follows her question by asking me what I dream about." He threw one arm over my shoulder and the other over Mara's. "The same thing everybody dreams about, I tell her. I dream about where I'm going…she always laughs at that." He glanced down at the floor, and chuckled. "She always retorts by saying "You're not going anywhere—you're just wandering about." To which I reply by telling her that isn't true."

I studied the side of his face. "Where are you going, then?"

Dad looked at me, and then at the painting. "I have a new destination. My journey is the same as anyone's, really, and it's taken me so many years and _so many_ lifetimes but at last I know where I'm going. Where I've always been going." He nodded towards the painting. "Home."


	20. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19.**

_"All things truly wicked start from innocence."_

_-Ernest Hemingway_

* * *

_POV: Rose_

_Date: the Last Day._

As I stared into her much younger eyes, I couldn't help but feel a sense of loss deep in the center of my chest. She was so young, and _so_ innocent. I had almost forgotten she had ever existed in the first place.

"There is one last thing," I told her just as she was preparing to jump into the time fissure I had opened for her.

"What?" she demanded.

I could see it—the future we were headed for—right behind my eyelids as if it were all happening right now. I had to warn her in some way. I had to at least try to get her to turn back now, while there was still a chance for us.

"The Doctor can save you, it's true," I said, "but when he can…" My voice died at the end. I knew I shouldn't tell her.

"What?" She demanded, and her voice was strained. "I don't exactly have a lot of time for riddles here."

I concentrated as hard as I could to give myself physical form in my hands. "He's not going to _want _to save you, Rose," I said, and shoved her into the vortex as hard as I could.

As soon as she was gone, the fissure closed, and I sighed. I closed my eyes and watched her run through the vortex. I pleaded with it to try to make her turn back any way that it could, and it agreed. There was still hope for her.

_No more._

I winced when his shouts filled my head, and felt myself snap back into the barn. I had stretched my consciousness as far as it could go, and that added with the power it had taken to give my fingers physical form had left me weakened. I could do no more to help my Doctor. He would have to make the choice for himself now.

I had to let out a small chuckle when I saw him staring at me. "You wanted a big red button." I watched as he continued to stare. "One big bang—no more Time Lords, no more Daleks. Are you sure?"

"I was sure when I came in here," he rasped. "There is no other way."

"You've seen the men you will become," I said.

He looked up at me. "Those men? Extraordinary."

I half smiled. "They were you."

"No," he said, and his tone was firm. "They are the Doctor."

My smile dropped. "You're the Doctor, too."

"No." He shook his head. "Great men are forged in fire. It is the privilege of lesser men to light the flame." He hesitantly reached out for the button that would force me to destroy his planet. "Whatever the cost."

I felt something I had almost forgotten existed—anxiety. I was sure that if I had a heart, it would be beating a hundred miles a minute at this point. I couldn't let him do this. They were coming, I just had to stall him.

"You know the sound the TARDIS makes?" I asked.

His hand stopped, and he turned to stare at me.

Another new sensation filled my consciousness—hope. "That wheezing, groaning? That sound brings hope wherever it goes."

"Yes," he said quietly. "Yes, I like to think it does."

"To anyone who hears it, Doctor," I said, and smiled when I could hear the TARDIS' song. "Anyone; however lost." I watched as his head slowly turned. "Even you."

"I told you," Clara said as she exited the older Doctor's ship. "He hasn't done it yet."

"Go away now, all of you. This is for me," the younger Doctor rasped, and turned back to face me.

"These events should be time-locked," my Doctor said, and I swallowed hard when I saw his face again. Old memories bubbled up to the surface, and I stamped them down. This was not the time to allow my humanity to bleed through. "We shouldn't even be here."

"So something let us through," the older Doctor said, and I smiled.

"You clever boys," I murmured.

"Go back," the younger Doctor ordered. "Go back to your lives. Go and be the Doctor that I could never be. Make it worthwhile." His hand shook as he turned and placed it on the red button.

I shuddered. The moment was nearly here.

"All those years, burying you in my memory," my Doctor muttered as he stared at his younger self.

The older Doctor glanced at him. "Pretending you didn't exist. Keeping you a secret even from myself."

My Doctor took a step forward. "Pretending you weren't the Doctor, when you were the Doctor more than anybody else."

In the background, I saw Mara step closer to Jenny to take her hand, and I swallowed. I longed for the ability to reach out to them. I had forgotten how beautiful they were. I had forgotten just how much I loved them.

The older Doctor walked over so he could face his younger self. "You were the Doctor on the day that it wasn't _possible_ to get it right."

"But this time," my Doctor said, and placed his hand overtop the younger Doctor's on the red button.

The older Doctor placed his hand over both of theirs. "You don't have to be alone."

I felt what could only be described as heartbreak seep into my consciousness. I had failed them. I was powerless to stop the moment from happening.

"Thank you," the younger Doctor whispered.

There was a moment of silence in the barn, and I shook my head. I couldn't allow this to happen. I closed my eyes, and concentrated all of the power I had left.

"What we do today is not out of fear or hatred," my Doctor said. "It is done because there is no other way."

I shook my head, and tried to tune them out. This couldn't happen. Everything I had done to get here would all be for nothing if I failed now.

I gasped when the power burst from me, and focused the projection onto their minds.

"What's happening?" Clara demanded as the scene played out around them.

"Nothing," the younger Doctor said, "it's a projection."

"But how is it projecting?" Mara asked.

I let out a slow breath. It was up to them now.

"These are the people you're going to burn?" Clara demanded as the war scene played out around them.

I focused my attention on my Doctor. His eyes were hollow and his face looked so defeated. I hated seeing him that way, but I had to do this. I couldn't fail now.

"Dad," Mara whispered, "you can't."

My Doctor snapped his eyes to her, and I hated how coldly he stared at our daughter. "There isn't anything we can do."

"He's right," the older Doctor said. "There isn't another way. There never was. Either I destroy my own people or let the universe burn."

"No," I gasped, "please."

"Look at you," Clara murmured. "The three of you—the warrior, the hero…" She looked over at her Doctor. "And you."

The older Doctor stepped forward to tower over her. "And what am I?" he asked.

"Have you really forgotten?" she asked.

"Yes," he said, "maybe, yes."

She sniffed. "We've got enough warriors," she said. "Any old idiot can be a hero."

"Then what do I do?" he asked.

"What you've always done," Mara said, "help."

"Make the impossible choice," Jenny said.

Clara smiled slightly. "Be a Doctor."

I smiled then, and shifted the projection. There was hope after all.

"You told me the name you chose was a promise," Clara said, "what was the promise?"

"Never cruel or cowardly," my Doctor stated.

"Never give up," the younger Doctor finished, "never give in."

I finally pulled the projection from their minds. I couldn't hold it any longer. It was up to them now.

My Doctor caught sight of the expression on his older self's face. "You're not actually suggesting that we change our own personal history?"

"We change history all the time," the older Doctor said, "I'm suggesting something far worse."

"What exactly?" the younger Doctor asked.

The older Doctor glanced at our daughters, and straightened up. I felt a smile creep onto my face, I knew that look in his eyes. No matter what color they were. "Gentlemen, I have had four hundred years to think about this…I changed my mind." He pulled out his sonic and pointed it at the red button.

My smile widened as the box closed. Maybe all I had been through to make it here wasn't for nothing after all.


	21. Chapter 20

**Happy New Year!**

* * *

**Chapter 20.**

_"My experience is that there is, you know, surprisingly, always hope."_

_-Matt Smith_

* * *

_POV: Rose_

_Date: the Last Day_

I couldn't help but smile when the older Doctor flipped his sonic and put it back in his pocket after deactivating me. Excitement bubbled up in my consciousness—he'd finally figured out the other solution.

"There's still a billion billion Daleks up there attacking," The younger Doctor said, and his tone was perplexed as he watched his older selves warily.

"Yeah, there is—there is!" the older Doctor exclaimed as he began to pace the barn. His green eyes were lit up with that manic gleam I knew all too well. As it turned out, that look was the same no matter what face my Doctor wore.

"But! There's something those billion billion Daleks don't know," my Doctor said, and turned to Jenny. "Can you guess what that is?"

She stared at him for a moment, and I saw the exact moment when it dawned on her. "Oh, that's good."

I giggled. "I certainly think so."

"If they did know, they'd probably send for reinforcements!" the older Doctor's words sped up with excitement as he pointed to my Doctor.

Mara glanced at Jenny, and she nodded her head towards the older Doctor. Mara's eyes widened. "If they were smart they wouldn't even try."

"What?" Clara demanded. "What don't they know?"

The older Doctor whipped around on his heel. "This time there's three of us."

"Oh!" The younger Doctor's eyes shot up towards the ceiling and his hands flew to his forehead. "Oh, yes, that is good. That is brilliant!"

My Doctor's eyes widened. "Oh, oh, oh, I'm getting that too! That is brilliant!" He bounded over to our TARDIS to jump up and high five her side.

"Ha, ha, ha! I've been thinking about it for centuries!" the older Doctor exclaimed.

"Care to share with the rest of the class?" Mara asked.

"She didn't just show me any old future—she showed me exactly the future I needed to see!" the younger Doctor shouted happily.

"Now you're getting it!" I shouted enthusiastically.

Jenny's eyes shot to him. "Run that by me again?"

"Oh, Bad Wolf girl, I could kiss you!" he cried, and sent out a kiss into the air.

I snorted. "Yeah, that's going to happen."

My Doctor and my girls all froze. "Sorry, did you just say Bad Wolf?" my Doctor asked.

This was it; the moment was here. I focused all of my power inward so they would be able to see me, and pulled in a breath for courage. "You really did have a thing for worn leather jackets when you were younger, didn't you?"

They all whipped around simultaneously to look at me with shocked eyes, and I felt a small pang of longing. After today, I would never see my family again. Not as they were now.

"Hello everyone."

My Doctor's eyes lit up with a wild hope as he ran for me. "Rose!"

I held up a hand before he could reach me. "No touch."

He stopped in his tracks, and I ached to tell him the truth. But I wouldn't. It would be too painful.

His face darkened. "What have you done?"

I bit my lip, and nodded towards the younger Doctor. "Ask him."

My Doctor spun around on his heel, and I didn't need an empathic connection to know the exact glare he had aimed at his younger self. "What did you do to my Rose?"

The younger Doctor held up his hands. "Nothing."

"Then what's happened to her?" he demanded.

I jumped down from the crate I was perched on. "We can't do this now, Doctor. The moment is here—you have to do this now or it won't just be Galleyfray that burns and you know it."

"Mum," Mara whispered. "How long have you been gone?"

I looked over at my daughter's anxious face and swallowed. She didn't need to know the truth. Not yet, anyway. "Long enough," I said, and glanced at the older Doctor before nodding towards where the TARDIS' were all parked. "Now let's get a move on, ay?"

The TARDIS—all three versions of her—sang her agreement.

"What is the plan, exactly?" Clara asked.

The younger Doctor turned to her. "The Dalek fleets are surrounding Galleyfray and firing on it constantly."

"The Sky Trench is holding," my Doctor added without ever taking his eyes off of me. "But what if the whole planet just disappeared?"

I smirked. "What a clever trick that would be." I could see it now as clear as day. The new timeline was forming itself, and the closer he got to the moment the more complete it became.

"Clever, sure, but how would that help?" Jenny asked.

"The Daleks would all still be there, but they would be firing on just each other. They'd destroy themselves in their own crossfire." My Doctor grinned, and I had to clench a fist. I wanted so badly to just reach out for him. It had been so long since I had seen him, and after this day I knew it would be a while yet before I would see him again. And even then…it wouldn't be _him_.

"Galleyfray would be gone, the Daleks would be destroyed, and it would look to the rest of the universe as if they'd annihilated each other," the younger Doctor said.

"But where would Galleyfray be?" Clara demanded.

"Frozen," my Doctor said. "Frozen in an instant of time. Safe, and hidden away."

The older Doctor stepped towards her. "Exactly—"

"Like a painting," the younger one finished.

I pretended to shiver. "Oh! I do just _love_ it when you go all brainiac." I nodded towards the TARDIS' again. "What'd yah say we get this show on the road?" Her song was getting louder, which meant their window of time to execute this plan was closing.

"Not until you explain what's happened to you," my Doctor said.

I stared at his pleading gaze. I had forgotten how much he loved me, but we couldn't do this now. "Doctor, _the moment is here_."

"She's the consciousness," the younger Doctor explained when my Doctor looked over at him.

His eyes widened and he glanced at my box. "No…"

I went to reach out for him, but stopped myself just before my fingers could brush against his. I couldn't give him false hope. "Doctor, we can't do this now. Later, yeah?"

He swallowed, but nodded. "Yeah."

I half smiled, and watched them all run to their TARDIS'. My Doctor paused before going into his ship to glance back at me.

"I'm so sorry, Rose," he said so quietly I could barely hear him. "So, so, sorry."

I half smiled. "I know."

He closed the door of his ship, and I pulled in a deep breath. I closed my eyes and allowed the box to pull my consciousness back inside. He would succeed, that much I could tell, and one day he would remember me.

Until then, I would sleep.

* * *

_POV: Mara_

_Date: December 14, 2013 _

"What are you doing here?"

I swung my TARDIS key around as I stepped deeper into the console room. "Can't a girl stop by to visit her parents every now and then?"

Dad snorted, and turned back to some repairs he was making to the left navigation panel. "You don't have to pretend you came here to see me." He nodded his head towards the doorway that led to the bowels of the TARDIS. "If you call out for her, she'll come to you."

I stared at him for a moment.

He paused in his repairs, and let out a heavy breath. "What?"

I shook myself. "Nothing, it's just…"

He glanced back at me. "Yes?"

I walked a couple of steps towards him until I was close enough to wrap my arms around his neck. "I missed you. I don't like it when we fight."

Dad sighed, and stood up. I broke my hold on him, and took a step back as he turned to face me.

He opened his arms, and pulled me in for a proper hug. "I missed you, too."

I closed my eyes and breathed in his familiar peppermint scent. He stooped down to kiss the top of my head, and we swayed back and forth in the hug as the seconds ticked by.

Finally, we broke apart.

"Have you heard from Jenny lately?" I asked.

He let out a low chuckle. "Your sister and I always fought harder than you and I did. After you left, Jenny and I had a…bit of a falling out."

I swallowed, and looked down at my hands. "I see."

"Hey." Dad took both of my shoulders and leaned down to look me in the eye. "Tylers are known for their hot-blooded tempers, but their also known for their forgiveness, yeah? It'll be okay, I promise. Just give your sister a little space."

I nodded, and half smiled up at him. "Thanks, Dad."

He grinned back at me, and nodded towards the hallway again. "Go catch up with your mum."

I leaned up on my toes to kiss his cheek before bounding away to the inner halls of the TARDIS.


	22. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21.**

_"Things we love have a way of coming back to us in the end, if not in the way we expect."_

_-J.K. Rowling_

* * *

_POV: Rose_

_Date: May 18, 2013_

I woke when a tentative consciousness brushed against my own.

"Clara," I said.

She whirled around on her heel to look at me with wide eyes. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. It's just…well, Madame Vastra told me to...in my dream."

I shook my head. "Don't apologize. You woke me at the right moment."

Her eyes flickered across my face. "Who are you?"

I felt my lips twitch. "That's a very long story, and right now we need to focus on helping the Doctor."

"I don't understand," she said, "Vastra said you're an incorporeal being. How are you going to help him if you aren't really there?"

"What else did Madame Vastra tell you about me?" I asked.

"Only that you're something called the Moment, and that you would be able to help the Doctor," she said.

I nodded. "That I can do. But first you need to wake up."

She blinked. "But I thought…"

I stepped closer to her and grabbed her wrist. "You've woken me; now it's your turn. The Doctor needs you, Clara, more than he knows."

She stared at my hand on her wrist with shock. "How do I do that?"

I shrugged, and released her. "How do you normally wake yourself up?"

She nodded. "Right." She closed her eyes, and whisked herself away.

I sighed as I settled back into my box, and stretched as the gears started to turn. My Doctor needed me—it was time to wake up.

I pulled in a deep breath and shot myself through the timeline to the exact moment when he would need me.

"Whatever you're thinking of doing, don't," River said.

I glanced over at the scene. My family were all lying on the ground together with similar pained expressions on their faces. I could feel their pain on the edges of my consciousness, and forced our link to close. I couldn't bear the thought of them like that.

Clara stepped towards a light in the center of the room. A light I knew well. "If I step in there, what happens?"

"The time winds will tear you into a million pieces," I said, and all eyes shot to me with similar looks of surprise. "A million versions of you—living and dying all over time and space—like echoes."

"Mum," I heard Mara gasped.

I longed to look at my daughter, but I kept my eyes on Clara. "I can keep you from burning up, but not for long."

"But the echoes could save the Doctor, right?" Clara asked, and turned her head to look at River and I. "And that's the point, isn't it?"

"But the echoes won't be you," River said. "The real you will die. They'll just be copies."

"But they'll be real enough to save him," Clara countered, and shrugged. "It's like my mum said. The soufflé isn't the soufflé, the soufflé is the recipe." Her eyes settled on where Mara, Jenny, and the Doctor were all splayed out across the floor. "It's the only way to save them, isn't it?"

River nodded to her, and I swallowed down what—if I were corporeal—would have been a lump in my throat.

It was in this moment that a Silurian I recognized as Vastra ran back inside. "The stars are going out…and Jenny and Strax are dead." She stared down at my family. "There must be something we can do."

Clara half smiled. "Well, how about that?" She stepped closer to the light. "I'm soufflé girl after all."

"No. Please," my Doctor whispered.

Clara kept her eyes fixed on the light. "If this works, get out of here as fast as you can. All of you. And spare me a thought now and then." She chuckled nervously.

"No, Clara," Mara wheezed.

She paused. "In face, you know what?" She looked down at the Doctor from over her shoulder. "Run. Run, you clever boy, and remember me."

"No, Clara!" he shouted.

The light grew blinding as she jumped into the Doctor's time stream. I pulled in a breath and stretched myself around her to protect her original form as she broke apart. I ground my teeth—I wouldn't be able to hold her for long.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my Doctor press a finger to his lips. They knew I was here.

"We're all restored. That's all that matters now," Vastra said.

"No we are not all restored," my Doctor shot back as he turned to face Vastra and her associates.

River marched over to him. "You can't go in there. It's your own time stream, for God's sake."

"I have to get her back," he muttered, and I could tell by the look on his face that he knew she was there.

I saw it when Mara looked over at me and opened her mouth to speak. I shook my head, and offered her a slight smile. She couldn't make the others aware I was here yet.

"Of course," River told my Doctor, "but not like this."

"But how?" Vastra's associate, Jenny asked.

"Is she still alive?" Vastra asked. "It killed Doctor Simeon."

"Clara's got one advantage over the Great Intelligence," the Doctor said, and reached up to straighten his bowtie. I had to smile over the gesture. His proud display of the garment reminded me of my old Doctor's suits, and even before that, his leather duster.

"Which is?"

He glanced at me. "Me."

"Doctor, please listen to me. At least _hear _me," River begged, and my heart went out to her.

The Doctor turned to Madame Vastra and her crew. "Now, if I don't come back, and I might not…"

"Doctor!" River shouted.

"Go to the TARDIS. Jenny and Mara can fly you home." He turned to our girls. "She's yours now, girls. Take care of her for me, yeah?"

Jenny swallowed, and Mara took her hand. "Yeah."

River shook her head furiously. "There has to be another way. Use the TARDIS, use something. Save her, yes, but for God's sake be sensible!" She raised a hand to slap him, but he quickly spun around to catch it.

I snorted. At least living with a Tyler had taught him something useful.

"How are you even doing that?" River asked. "I'm not really here."

"You are always here to me," the Doctor whispered in a low tone. "And I always listen, and I can always _see_ you."

River's face softened. "Then why didn't you speak to me?"

The Doctor glanced up at me, and I nodded. I didn't need to be here for this. I turned, and stepped off to the side so he could give River her proper farewell.

"Because I thought it would hurt too much," I heard him murmur.

"I believe I could have coped," River said.

"No," my Doctor said, "I thought it would hurt _me_…and I was right."

I peeked around the coral strut I was behind, and swallowed hard. The Doctor had River wrapped up in a desperate kiss. It was yet another reminder of all the time that I had missed.

"Since nearly no one else in this room can see you, God knows how that looked," he said after they parted. "There is a time to live, and a time to sleep. You are an echo, River. Like Clara. Like all of us, in the end. My fault, I know, but you should've faded by now."

"It's hard to leave when you haven't said goodbye," River said, and my lips quirked upwards. That was a feeling I knew all too well.

My Doctor took a step back from her. "Then tell me, because I don't know…how do I say it?"

"There's only one way I'd accept," River told him, and glanced over at me as I stepped back onto the platform. "If you ever loved me, say it like you're going to come back."

"Well then…" Dad clapped his hands. "See you around, Professor River Song."

She smiled. "Till the next time, Doctor."

"Don't wait up," he told her.

"Oh there's one more thing," River said.

The Doctor let out a wistful smile. "Isn't there always?"

River smirked as though he was missing something obvious. "I was mentally linked with Clara. If she's really dead, then how can I still be here?"

"Okay." The Doctor opened his hands to her. "How?"

She chuckled. "Spoilers." Slowly, she began to fade away. "Goodbye, sweetie."

The Doctor paused for a moment to smile to himself, and then looked up at me. "Shall we?"

I let out a smile, and concentrated as hard as I could so I could take his hand. He jumped when my fingers locked around his, and then squeezed my hand. "Just like old times?" I asked, and pressed my tongue up against my teeth.

He let out a short laugh. "Anything but."

"Dad!" Mara shouted.

The two of us didn't turn back as we stepped into the time stream together.

"_Doctor? Doctor! Please, please. I don't know where I am!"_

I guided the Doctor towards Clara's frantic shouting. "You have to lead her back to us," I said as we landed on solid ground in what appeared to be a wasteland.

He nodded, and closed his eyes. _"Clara. You can hear me, I know you can."_

"_I can't see you," _she whimpered.

"_I'm everywhere,"_ he assured her._ "You're inside my time stream. Everything around you is me."_

I gripped his hand tighter, and attempted to pinpoint her exact location. "She's close."

"_I can see you. All your different faces are here."_

I could hear them—the voices so concentrated they had become one. One, singular, _no more_. It hadn't happened for them yet.

The Doctor glanced at me. _"Those are my ghosts; my past. Every good day—every bad day."_

"Doctor, we don't have long," I said between clenched teeth. I was fighting to keep both the Doctor and Clara in one piece in this hectic place, but I couldn't for much longer. The time winds would eventually penetrate the bubble of calm I had created, and then my Doctor and his companion would burn.

"_Doctor, what's happening?" _Clara demanded.

"_I'm inside my own time stream. It's collapsing in on itself."_

I squeezed my eyes shut. _"Clara, this is Rose. You have to find us. I can only keep you both safe for so long."_

She let out a sob. _"I don't even know who I am."_

"_You're my impossible girl," _the Doctor told her. _"I'm sending you something. Not from my past—from yours. Look up. Look. This is you, Clara. Everything you are or will be. Take it. You blew into the world on this leaf. Hold tight. It will take you home."_

I felt it when she stumbled closer to us, and opened my eyes with a gasp. "She's here."

"Clara!" my Doctor called out as a figure came into view in the fog before us. "Clara, come up to me now. You can do it; I know you can." He dropped my hand and opened his arms wide.

Her face still had tears streaking down it as she stumbled towards us. "How?"

"Because it's impossible and you're my impossible girl!" the Doctor shouted. "How many times have you saved me, Clara? Just this once—just for the hell of it—let me save you! You have to trust me, Clara, I'm _real_. Just one more step," he said encouragingly as she stumbled into his arms.

I stepped back to allow them their moment of victory.

"Clara! My Clara! Oh!" my Doctor shouted out in relief as he squeezed her closely against his chest.

I swallowed down my jealousy, and glanced up. "Doctor…" There was a figure standing in the mist with his back towards us. A figure I knew already.

Clara and the Doctor parted, and she glanced over her shoulder at the man. "Who's that?"

"We should go," I said with urgency in my tone. "I can't hold onto either of you for much longer."

"But who is he?" Clara demanded.

"He's me," the Doctor said, "there's only me here; that's the point." He grabbed her arm. "Now let's get back."

"But I never saw that one," Clara insisted, and looked back at him. "I saw all of you. Eleven faces, all of them you."

The Doctor stooped down to her eye level, and I saw his gaze flicker between Clara and his younger self warily. "I said he was me. I never said he was the Doctor."

Clara's brow furrowed. "But I don't understand."

I fought to keep myself upright as the winds started to eat away at what was left of the defense I had created to make this bubble. "Clara, I know you're confused, but we need to go _now_."

"But—" she started to say, but then collapsed.

"Clara!" the Doctor shouted, and caught her before she could fall. He looked over at me. "We should go."

"What I did, I did without choice."

Both of our eyes shot to the younger Doctor that was still staring off into the vast nothingness around us. "I know," my Doctor said.

"In the name of peace and sanity," the younger Doctor continued.

"But not in the name of the Doctor," my Doctor growled out between his teeth, and turned to me. "Let's go."


	23. Chapter 22

**Many thanks go out to JuLLiiA, for your lovely review on chapter 20.**

* * *

**Chapter 22.**

_"It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend."_

_-William Blake_

* * *

_POV: Rose_

_Date: May 18, 2013 _

I woke to his voice calling for me.

"I thought you had forgotten you still had me," I said.

He whipped around and looked at me with dark eyes. "I tried to."

I swallowed down my nervousness. "How's Clara?"

"She's fine," he said, and picked up my box. "She'll need a few days of rest, but she's fine."

"Good," I said.

We stared at each other for a moment before the Doctor started for the door.

"You know what this means don't you?" I called, and waited until he stopped walking to turn around to face him. "You didn't burn your planet."

His shoulders sagged. "Rose, I'm so sorry this happened to you. But just because you're somehow the Moment doesn't mean what happened to Galleyfray is your fault. It's still mine. I chose to use…" he cut himself off, and I saw the sadness creep into his eyes.

My hopes fell when he misunderstood my statement. I wanted to reach out and take his hand so badly, but I only allowed myself to take a couple of steps closer to him. "This was my choice, Doctor. What happened to me is not your fault."

I saw his jaw tick. "Why did you leave?" his voice broke over the question.

My lip twitched. "As your River would say…spoilers."

He snorted, and swung back around to face the door. "I suppose I'll find out soon enough then!"

I closed my eyes, and sent myself back into the box until he set me down on one of the countertops in the med bay. I waited until the Doctor brushed his fingers against the Bad Wolf symbol that was etched onto the box before waking myself back up.

"Well, it's about time," I purred, and stretched.

All three of my family members swiveled around to face me.

"Rose," the Doctor said flatly.

I smirked, and waved. "Hello again."

"This can't be real," Mara said.

"I'm afraid that it's all too real," the Doctor said in the same flat tone he'd used to greet me, and gingerly set my box down on one of the countertops. He glanced at Jenny and Mara. "Do you remember yet?"

Our girls glanced at each other, and then at the box. I saw the exact moment when the memories came rushing back. The two of them cried out in pain, and pressed the heels of their hands against their eyes.

I waited until they both reopened their eyes to hold up a finger. "Don't tell him everything you know."

"But—" Jenny started.

My Doctor shook his head. "No, she's right. I can't be allowed to remember everything yet. That would be…disastrous." His eyes flickered to me before he turned his attention to Clara. "Right!" He clapped his hands. "Let's wake her up, shall we?"

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Mara asked.

"Only one way to find out," he muttered, and pressed two fingers to his companion's temple.

Clara's eyes flew open and she gasped. She tried to fly to her feet, but the Doctor pressed her back down by the shoulders. "What happened?" she asked, and began to violently cough.

The Doctor shot a wary look in my direction. "You, ah, don't remember?"

She coughed a bit more. "Dunno—a bit, I think. It's like…" She pursed her lips. "It's like trying to remember a dream. I remember Simeon jumping into your time stream, and I remember jumping in to save you lot." She looked at the Doctor first, and then Jenny and Mara up and down. "By the looks of it, I succeeded."

"You don't…" The Doctor swallowed nervously. "You don't remember anything else?"

Clara paused. "I think…I remember singing, and a…bright light, and a woman. She kept me from burning up…" She looked up at Dad. "Doctor, who was she?"

The Doctor straightened up, and looked over at me. "An old…friend, of mine."

"Like River?" Clara asked.

"Sort of, but…from a _long_ time ago," the Doctor said, "a whole lifetime ago, really." His voice dropped to nearly a whisper at the end.

I swallowed, and stepped into Clara's line of sight. "Hello Clara, we met earlier. My name's Rose."

Clara's eyebrows rose to her hairline, and she looked to my daughters for confirmation. Mara nodded. She looked to the Doctor with wide eyes, and he nodded. "Well then." She hopped to her feet delicately, and held out her hand. "It's an honor to finally meet you."

My lips tightened at the reminder that I wasn't entirely corporeal. "No touch," I said quietly.

"Mum," Jenny said, and pushed herself away from the counter she was leaning on. "What happened to you?"

I let out a laugh, and I despised the bitterness in the sound. "That's a long story."

The Doctor reached out for one of the stools. "Well, we've got nothing but time."

My eyes searched his face; what was he playing at? He knew exactly what had happened to me—I was part of his planet's history.

Finally, I let out a weary breath and my shoulders sagged. "Fine. Doctor, have you ever heard of the Pythia?"

* * *

_POV: Jenny_

_Date: December 24, 2013_

I walked across the grass towards Dad's TARDIS. It was parked out in front of Clara's apartment building, which was a good sign. That meant Dad had finally come out of his wallow and had started traveling with her again.

I jumped when Mara stumbled out of the vortex in front of me. "Mara!" I shouted. "Give some warning before you use the vortex manipulator, ay?"

She smirked. "Sorry sis, I was in a bit of a hurry."

"I can see that," I said, and nodded towards the scorch mark on her jacket.

"Oh no!" she whined. "This was my favorite!"

I chuckled, and pulled out my TARDIS key. "I'll get you a new one for Christmas."

She grinned, and gave me a hug. "Thanks, Jen."

I nodded, and unlocked the TARDIS door. We had only gotten a foot inside when I saw something no one should ever, e_ver_ see.

"Dad!" Mara screeched, and turned to hide her eyes in my shoulder.

I slapped a hand over my eyes. "You couldn't put a sock on the door or something?"

Clara ran over to us, and hid her face in my other shoulder. "He says he's going to church."

I heard Mum laugh. "You owe me a trip to the Rivera."

"Well obviously the girls are going to react that way, but how was I supposed to know that Clara would have such a problem with nudity?" Dad cried out indignantly, and I heard him press some buttons on the console. "Better?"

The three of us hesitantly uncovered our eyes, and were met with a fully clothed Doctor. "Thank Rassilion," Mara said, and let out a loud breath of relief.

"That was quick," Clara said.

"Hologram clothes," Dad explained. "Projected directly onto your visual cortexes."

I stepped closer to him warily. "So you're still technically naked?"

He rolled his eyes. "Technically, yes. But everyone's naked under their clothes."

Clara, Mara, and I all collectively shivered. "Don't say things like that," Clara said, "it's Christmas." She grabbed his hand. "Speaking of—!"

"Whoa, where are you two going?" Mara demanded.

"Your Dad agreed to save me from the agony of not having a Christmas date at my family dinner."

I looked over at Mum with raised eyebrows. "You're okay with this?"

She shrugged. "It's not like I can go with them."

"I thought you were getting better at keeping a corporeal form?" Mara asked.

Mum let out a weary sigh. "I wouldn't be able to keep it up long enough."

"But what about _our_ family Christmas dinner?" I asked. "We _always_ spend Earth Christmases together." Mum had always been very particular about keeping track of the Earth calendar so the four of us could spend holidays together. It was pretty much the only tradition our family had.

Dad glanced at Mara and I, then at Mum, and then at Clara. "Oh…ah! I'm sorry, Clara, I need to stay."

Clara's face fell, but she nodded. "Of course…I'll just…" She spun around, and headed out the doors of the TARDIS.

"Now then!" Dad shouted, and rubbed his hands together. "To the kitchen?"


	24. Chapter 23

**Thank you, tscheby, for your kind review on last chapter. :)**

* * *

**Chapter 23.**

_"Solitude is pleasant. Loneliness is not." _

_-Anna Neagle_

* * *

_POV: Rose_

_Date: December 24, 2013_

Being surrounded by my family again made me feel lonelier than I ever had before.

I sat at the dinner table smiling and laughing with the rest of them as they ate their Christmas meal, but I didn't eat. I couldn't smell the aromas of the food in front of me or taste anything I could place in what should be my mouth. I had managed to make enough of me corporeal that I could sit in the chair and lean against the table on my elbows, but that was it. And even that was draining a lot of my power. I wouldn't be able to hold my form for long.

To be surrounded by my Doctor and our daughters, but to not be able to feel what they were feeling through our bond or even physically _touch_ them was the worst agony I could imagine.

When their dinner was finally over, Mara and Jenny ran out of the kitchen for the library. Every year the TARDIS would set the largest Christmas tree any of us had ever seen right in the center of the floor, and the four of us would decorate it. Normally I was the one who was the most excited to see the tree and to gather up the decorations we would use the current year.

This year, I ended up with the Doctor in the kitchen while he washed dishes.

"You don't have to stay, you know," he said as he rolled up his sleeves.

I shrugged, and leaned against the counter. "I know, but I want to."

"Suit yourself," he said, and got to work.

I swallowed when I saw the flash of his wedding band. "That something River gave you?"

He glanced at me, and then at the ring. "No."

I raised an eyebrow. "Is it…?"

His lips twitched, and he looked up at me through his eyelashes. "I never could make myself take it off."

I let out a breath I hadn't known I was holding. "You thought I was still alive?"

"I had hope."

I stared down at my feet for a moment as we lapsed into silence. The only sounds that broke the quiet were the clinking of the dishes and running water.

"I'm sorry," I murmured.

The Doctor's eyes flickered towards me. "For what?"

I swallowed. "I promised never to leave you."

He laughed. "I think that promise became void the first time I lost you." He began to furiously scrub a plate. "Besides, you came back. You always do."

"Not fully. I can't even touch you." I reached out to touch his face, and stopped with my fingers hovering just above his cheek.

He paused in his work, and turned to face me. "Yes you can. You just have to concentrate."

I pushed myself away from the counter and took a couple of steps away from him. "No, I can't." I felt sadness seep into the edges of my consciousness. If I still had a chest, it would feel tight by now. "Besides, you don't want me to."

"What?" the Doctor asked. "Rose, what gives you that idea?"

I shrugged, and avoided eye contact. "You barely speak to me. You avoid me when we're alone and you can barely look at me when we're together. I know you resent me for leaving, but I did it to save you from a terrible decision." I looked up and met his eyes. I could feel a familiar fire in mine. "It was the only way to save Galleyfray. It was the only way to save _you_."

He stared at me with an incredulous expression. "You think I resent you?"

"Why else would you avoid as much contact with me as possible?"

His eyes darkened a shade. "Rose, I could never resent you. You're the most loyal and loving person I know. How could I resent you for making a choice that is simply your nature to make?"

I pulled my eyebrows down as confusion set in. "If it's not resentment then what is it?"

"I'm angry with _myself_," he said, and I saw him clench a fist. "I should have stopped you. I should have saved you. You didn't need to become…" He half turned away from me. He let out a couple of slow breaths. "Every time I look at you, I'm reminded of how I failed you."

I stepped closer to him with my hand extended, only to pull it back at the last moment. "Doctor, what happened to me is not your fault. Besides, if I hadn't done this then we would have had _another_ universe-eating paradox to take care of."

He chuckled. "So?"

I swallowed at the sudden reminder of another time. Another separation - although far more drastic than this one - and a goodbye on a dismal beach. I closed my eyes for a moment, and took in a deep breath. There was something I knew I had to do. My daughters wouldn't be happy about the end result, but they'd forgive me.

"I have a gift for you," I said.

He raised his eyebrows. "Yeah?"

I nodded. "Close your eyes."

The Doctor gave me a wary look, but complied.

I swallowed, and closed my own eyes. I focused myself inward as much as I could before releasing that power all throughout my body. I wouldn't be able to spend Christmas Eve with all of them after this, but I knew the Doctor and I needed this.

I opened my eyes, and took two quick steps closer. We wouldn't have a lot of time.

I threw my arms around his neck and yanked him down for a kiss. I heard him inhale sharply through his nose, and then his arms were around me.

The sensations were so much more intense now that I had been deprived of any physical contact for a long period of time. Tears leaked out of my eyes when I could feel the warmth of his skin and the strength of his skinny frame. His fingers curled themselves into my hair, and I gasped when I could _smell_ him. His peppermint and Earl Grey tea scent made my head swim to the point where I nearly lost my balance.

My hands greedily roamed along his back, his chest, his face—any piece of him I could easily reach. I wanted something to remember once I lost this again.

Finally, we broke apart. He pressed our foreheads together as we caught our breath. It was more of a formality than anything really—neither of us really needed the air—but it was nice to take a moment to just be with him. To feel the heat radiating off his skin and the strength of his arms as they curled around my waist and the puffs of air against my cheek as he exhaled.

"I love you," he murmured.

I smiled, and stood up on my tiptoes to give him another peck on his lips. "I love you, too."

"Rose," he whispered, "our bond. Is it…?"

"It's intact," I said. "I've been keeping it closed because I thought you didn't want to be with me anymore."

The Doctor snorted. "There is no universe where that could be true."

I felt my power beginning to wane, and reluctantly took a step away from him. "I'm not going to be able to spend Christmas Eve with all of you because of this."

He swallowed, and captured my hand before I was out of his reach. "Before you go, can we reopen the bond?"

I gave him a tender smile, and nodded. We both closed our eyes as I reopened our link. I felt a rush of feelings coming from him, and for a moment I was overwhelmed. But then the emotions subsided and a sense of peace filled my mind.

"Thank you," he whispered.

"I have to go now," I said. I had drawn back my power so that only the hand he was holding was still corporeal.

He swallowed down a lump, and released me. "See you tomorrow?"

I nodded. "Merry Christmas, Doctor."

* * *

_POV: Mara_

_Date: December 24, 2013_

"Where's Mum?" Jenny asked as Dad entered the library.

He swallowed, and glanced down at his shoes. "She can't join us tonight. She used up too much power and needed a rest."

I felt Jenny's disappointment as well as my own. "That's too bad," I said, "but we'll see her in the morning, right?"

Dad nodded. "That's the plan." He held up a severed Cyberman head. "Look who I brought!"

"Handles!" Jenny and I shouted with wide smiles.

"Glad he could join us," I said.

"I'll just set him here." Dad carefully set him down on one of the library couches and then clapped his hands. "Well! Shall we get started?"

The three of us turned back to the task at hand then, and made quick work of decorating the tree. This was the first year since Mum's disappearance that we were doing this at all, and the fact that she was home but not with us stung. It didn't help that the three of us spent nearly the entire time not speaking to each other. Usually, this tradition had us all talking and laughing so much that it would take hours to finish the tree.

Dad pulled out the Christmas star once we were finished with the other ornaments. He glanced up at us. "Whose turn is it?"

Jenny shifted on her feet. "Mum's."

We all stared at the star quietly for a moment.

"Well!" Dad moved towards the tree. "Would either of you object if I put it up instead?"

Jenny and I glanced at each other, and shook our heads. "No," I said.

He nodded, and walked up to the top of the ladder to set the star at the top of the tree. He looked down to us for approval once he'd placed it. "Is it straight?"

"It's perfect," Jenny assured him.

He came back down the ladder and walked back over to us. He offered us both a smile and threw each of his arms over our shoulders. "Come on now, it's Christmas! Your mum wouldn't want you to be so gloomy on Christmas. Perk up, ay? She'll be here in the morning."

I swallowed, and leaned my head against him. "I'm sorry, Dad."

Jenny sighed. "We were just looking forward to a regular family Christmas."

We were interrupted by the ringing of the Cloister bell.

The three of us broke apart. "What was that about?" Jenny asked.

"Dunno," Dad said, "shall we look into it?"


	25. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24.**

_"It's all still waiting for you. The fields of Trenzalore, the fall of the Eleventh, and the question."_

_-Simon Fisher-Becker_

* * *

_POV: Rose_

_Date: December 25, 2013_

I was woken by the sound of two words. A message sent out across the universe to bring billions of the Doctor's enemies together.

_Doctor Who?_

"What the hell are you thinking?" I demanded.

The Doctor turned from the open doors of the TARDIS to look at me. "Why, where are we?" He stepped away from Clara and our girls to tower over me. "What aren't you telling me?"

"Information available."

I glanced over at a damaged Cyberman head that was attached to the console.

"Doctor, what's that?" Clara asked.

The Doctor sucked in his cheeks before spinning around to face her. "Oh, just a bit of a Cyberman. He'll get us to the church on time."

"_You_ go to church?" Mara asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I have developed a fault," the Cyberman said.

The Doctor rolled his eyes at our daughter. "Hush. His name is Handles. His organics are all gone, but there's still a full set of data banks. Found it at the Maldovar market."

"Oh, I love a good shopping trip at Maldovar," I said with a wistful sigh. "You should have woken me."

He glanced back at me. "You weren't exactly corporeal at the time."

I snorted. "I'm sure the Maldovarians wouldn't have cared. They're a very accepting people."

"You mean they love a good sale," he shot back.

I smiled ever-so slightly. I had missed our banter.

"Planet identified from analysis of message," Handles said.

"Oh!" The Doctor nearly skipped to the console. "Come on then girls, gather around for this."

Clara, Jenny, and Mara glanced at each other and then gathered around the console with him. I swallowed down my nervousness. I could feel the Doctor's excitement, and I wished I didn't know what was about to happen.

"Right," he said once they were all settled. "Go on then. Okay, tell us, what is the planet?" he asked.

"Do you know, Mum?" Jenny asked me.

I leaned against one of the secondary console units. "You'll have to wait and see."

"Processing official designation. Processing," Handles said.

The Doctor let out a sigh of impatience. "Okay, in your own time, dear. Don't rush."

"So why haven't you just gone down there and had a look?" Clara asked.

"It's shielded," the Doctor grumbled. "Even the TARDIS can't break through it."

"Galleyfray."

I bit my lip as all three of my Time Lords froze. "What did you say?" the Doctor asked breathlessly.

"Galleyfray," Handles repeated.

The Doctor straightened up and turned to me. "What is he talking about? Galleyfray? What does he mean?"

"Confirmed," Handles said. "Planet designation, Galleyfray."

"Rose?"

I stared into his eyes for a moment. His normally expressive green irises had hardened over, and I could feel his tightly wound anger. "Take a look for yourself."

He pointed towards the door. "Galleyfray is my home. I know it when I see it. _That_ is not Galleyfray. Galleyfray is gone."

"Dad…" Mara reached out to touch his shoulder.

He shook her off, and marched towards me. "Galleyfray is gone, so what aren't you telling me?"

I refused to back down as he attempted to intimidate me with a penetrating glare. "You need to calm down."

"Even if it did survive, it's gone from this universe," he hissed, and pointed towards the door angrily. "That is not my home."

I saw Mara look at one of the scanners. "Dad…"

We were interrupted by the loud blast of a fog horn.

* * *

_POV: Jenny_

_Date: July 25_

"What's that?" Clara asked.

Mara and I followed her and Dad over to the doors of the TARDIS. "Papal Mainframe," Dad said. "It's like a great big flying church. They were the first ship to arrive. They're the ones who shielded the planet."

"So they can get us down there?" Mara asked.

"Doctor," a voice boomed as a large holographic face was projected across the ship. The face was a woman who looked roughly the same age as Dad, with dark eyes and brunette hair pulled back into a tight bun.

"A friend of yours?" Clara asked.

The Doctor glanced back at Mum, and cleared his throat before bowing to the woman. "Tasha Lem, Mother Superior!"

The holographic woman raised a finger and gestured for us to come closer.

"Oh, she's inviting us aboard," Dad said with a giddy tone in his voice.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because I asked her," Dad said, and ran back for the console. "Now then! Shall we?"

"Are you coming with us, Mum?" Mara asked.

Dad paused as he was inputting the flight sequence into the TARDIS, and glanced at Mum.

She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "No, I don't think your Dad's friend would appreciate my presence."

We all stumbled a little as Dad landed the TARDIS. He glanced at Mum before waving us towards the doors. "After you lot."

"See you on the surface," Mum said.

I followed Mara and Clara out of the TARDIS into a huge chamber. The room was dimly lit, but I could still make out the many faces of soldiers staring down at us. The path we were on was a red carpet lined with men and women in uniform. At the head of the whole group stood the woman who had been the face of the hologram.

She smirked down at us, and her expression reminded me of River.

"What is this place?" Clara whispered.

Dad leaned towards her. "The Church of the Papal Mainframe—security hub of the known universe."

"A security church?" she asked.

Mara snorted. "Naturally."

"Yup," Dad said, "keeping you safe in this world and the next." He straightened up as we approached the steps that led up to where the woman—Tasha Lem—was waiting. "I venerate the exaltation of the Mother Superior!" He bowed low, and the rest of us copied his example.

"Welcome to the Church of the Papal Mainframe," a man off to Tasha Lem's side said.

Tasha's smirk widened. "Hey, Babes."

Dad winked at her. "Love the frock."

"Is that a new body?" Tasha asked. "Give us a twirl."

Dad spun around on his heel. "Tash, this old thing? Please, I've been rocking it for centuries."

My face scrunched up with disgust at their flirting. I glanced at Mara, and she squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head at me.

"Nice though," Tasha said, "tight."

"Okay!" I shouted. "Hi, Jenny Tyler here, the Doctor's daughter." I pointed to Mara. "That's my sister, Mara, and this is our Dad's companion, Clara. Pleased to meet you."

Tasha raised an eyebrow at me, and looked up at her disciples. "We'll go to my chapel." She raised her arms. "All honors in place; no sacrifices required."

I heard Mara let out a breath of relief. "_Good save, sis."_

I glanced back at her as we followed Dad and Mother Superior into a hallway. "_You ever met this Tasha?"_

Mara shook her head. "_Never."_

We stopped in front of a set of double doors. "It was Tasha who shielded the planet," Dad said. "But you could sneak me down there, couldn't you Tash?"

Tasha raised an eyebrow. "I would have conditions." She turned her head to look at the three of us. "I have confidential matters to discuss with the Doctor. Would you all excuse us?"

"Anything you have to say to me you can say in front of these three." He glanced at Clara. "Well…you can say quite a lot of it in front of this one. Probably about half…maybe…a smidge under…" He turned to Clara. "Actually, Clara, would you mind waiting out here please?"

"Us too?" Mara asked.

Dad bit his lip. "Um, well…"

I crossed my arms. "What would Mum think of you two alone together?"

Tasha blinked, and her eyes shot to Dad. "You found her?"

Dad's mouth opened and closed like a fish, and he reached up to scratch the back of his neck nervously. "Yes, well, you see—"

Tasha rolled her eyes. "Just get in here—all of you."


	26. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25.**

_"Change is the law of life."_

_-John F. Kennedy_

* * *

_POV: Mara_

_Date: July 25_

Jenny and I shot a glance at each other as we walked into Tasha's "chapel". It was a simple room with something that looked like a photo booth in the far corner, and a large bed dominating the middle of the space.

"That altar looks like a bed," Dad commented.

Tasha shot him a sultry look. "That bed looks like an altar."

I swallowed down bile. "Can we just get on with the plan please?"

Tasha sighed. "Right." She pressed a button on the side of the bedframe. Once she'd pressed it, a sound that reminded me of whale songs started to play. "That message is transmitting through all of space and time." She looked over at Dad. "What does it make you feel?"

Dad's eyebrows raised to his hairline. "Feel?"

She stepped closer to him. "Every sentient being in the universe who detected that signal felt something. Something…overpowering."

Jenny bounced over to Dad's side. "And what might that be?"

Tasha slowly turned her eyes to my sister. "Fear. Pure, unadulterated, dread."

There was a beat of silence, and then I snorted out a laugh. "I'm sorry," I said in between fits of laughter.

Jenny's lips quirked up into a smile, and she started laughing with me. Dad gave us both a warning glare that dissolved into his own round of laughter, and Clara stared at the three of us like we were idiots.

Tasha's lips tightened and she straightened up. "I can assure you that this is no laughing matter."

I wiped my eyes and shook my head. "I'm sorry, it's just…you have _great_ mood lighting in here."

She raised her eyebrows at me.

I glanced at Jenny for help.

My sister wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "It's an inside joke," she said. "You had to be there."

Dad clapped his hands after another beat of silence. "Right! What's the signal? Where's it coming from?"

Tasha broke her attention away from us and headed around the bed for a control panel on the opposite wall. "It's a settlement. Human colony, level two—a farm, basically."

"Anyone been for a look?" Dad asked.

"Any ship lands and the rest will follow." Tasha turned back to us. "There will be bloodshed. Fortunately, we got here first and shielded the planet. We maintain the truce by blocking all of them."

"But those are Daleks and Cybermen out there," Jenny said, "couldn't one of them break through your defenses eventually?"

Tasha shrugged. "Perhaps. But they're afraid, remember? _Nobody_ wants to go first."

Dad glanced at us with a familiar, manic smile. "I do," he said as he turned back to Tasha.

She smirked. "I was counting on it."

* * *

_POV: Rose_

_Date: July 25_

I was already waiting for them by the time they made it down to the surface.

"Oh, cold!" Clara shouted. "Very cold."

The Doctor ran over to wrap her up in his arms. "Okay, don't worry. Here, take this." He handed her a pill.

"What is it?" she asked.

"It'll help you generate heat; just take it."

She swallowed it, and I swallowed down my jealousy as I watched him rub her arms. I saw his eyes flicker to me when he sensed how I was feeling. I sucked in my cheeks and tried to get control over myself. It had been a while since the last time our link was open, and I had forgotten how exposed I was to him.

"So where are we?" Jenny asked.

"Haven't you guessed yet?" I called out.

The Doctor glanced around. "Half a universe in terror over a sweet little town covered in snow…I don't see it."

"Dad!" Mara shrieked.

"What?" he cried.

She and Jenny were dragging Clara back. "We have company!"

Fear gripped my mind when I saw what was approaching my family. Hundreds of Angels were slowly making their way out of the snow to take them.

"Don't blink!" I shouted, and tried to think of a way I could protect them.

"What are they?" Clara screeched as one got closer.

"They're Weeping Angels!" Mara yelled as the four of them finally got back-to-back.

"They look like statues, but they aren't," Jenny finished. "Just don't blink and they won't move."

"Why not?" Clara asked.

"Quantum locked lifeform!" the Doctor shouted. "It can only move if it's unobserved."

"How can they be here?" Mara shrieked, and her terror radiated out from her in waves. "I thought Mum destroyed them."

"They're time travelling beings!" I cried, and closed my eyes as I desperately tried to find the strength to save them.

"They must've gotten past Tasha's shield!" the Doctor shouted.

"Dad, there's too many of them!" Jenny cried.

"I can't see!" Clara shrieked. "The snow's in my eyes!"

"I can bring the TARDIS down!" the Doctor yelled.

I gasped when my concentration broke. Terror gripped my consciousness—I couldn't save them. "Don't be an idiot, you can't fly it remotely!" I shouted.

"No, but it can home in on the key."

"But she took our keys!" Mara cried, and screamed when one of the Angels nearly reached her.

I ran over to the Doctor's side. "What're you thinking?"

He licked his lips. "There's one key she didn't take!" He glanced at me. "Call the old girl, Rose!"

My eyes widened, and then slammed shut. I could hear her just beyond the reaches of the atmosphere, and when she heard my cry for help she came shooting down to our location.

I smiled widely as the console room started to materialize around us. "I didn't know I could do that."

Jenny and Mara laughed with relief. "Thanks Mum."

"How did you know?" I asked the Doctor as he stepped towards the console.

He glanced over at me. "I didn't." He paused, and smiled at me. "I had hope."

I swallowed as our eyes locked, and I felt another—softer—smile on my lips. "Me too," I said quietly.

"_We'll find a way to make you fully corporeal again," _he said.

I wanted to reach out and take his hand, but sent him a burst of affection instead. _"I know you'll find it."_

He cleared his throat. "Right, setting us down near the signal source. I'm going to turn the engines on silent. Don't want to make a fuss."

Jenny and Mara walked back up then with their arms filled with winter coats. "Here Clara," Jenny said, and handed the Doctor's companion an extra jacket.

"Everyone ready?" the Doctor asked.

I pulled in a slow breath as they walked out of the TARDIS doors. The words the - then - older version of me had spoken were echoing around in my head.

_He's not going to want to save you, Rose._

I knew what the message coming from this planet was, and I knew that she was right. In more ways than one.

"Hello!" the Doctor shouted as the four of them walked towards a small town. Ahead, I could see a couple walking away from the town. "Hello, there." He glanced at me, and then at the other three girls. "Right, we're a family from the next town. My name's probably Hank or Rock, something like that. Rose, you're…I don't know, Nora, or something. Clara, you're our…our..."

"Niece," I finished for him. "You're our niece."

I saw the Doctor blush. "Right, you're our niece. Hello!" He waved to the couple walking in our direction. "Good to meet you. Nice snow."

The couple paused. "Most pleasant to meet you, too," the woman said.

"Most pleasant, most pleasant," the man agreed.

"I'm the Doctor," the Doctor said, "I'm a Time Lord from the planet Galleyfray. I stole a time machine and ran away and I've been _flouting _the principal laws of my own people ever since." He pointed to Mara and Jenny. "Which is why they exist." He paused. "That wasn't quite what I was meant to say."

I giggled.

"Name's Jenny! I'm a child created from a progenation machine from the planet Messaline. And although the Doctor is technically my only parent, I still consider Rose my mum." She slapped a hand over her mouth. "Oops."

Mara looked like she was fighting against the urge to speak. "I'm Mara, I'm the daughter of both Rose and the Doctor and I still resent them for missing out on the first sixteen years of my life."

The Doctor and I shared a strong sense of guilt over her words. He glanced over at me, and I swallowed.

"I'm Clara," Clara said, "I'm an English teacher from the planet Earth, and I've run off with a man from space because I really fancy—" she clapped a hand over her mouth before she could finish.

I raised my eyebrows, and saw the Doctor blush again.

The woman chuckled. "I think, perhaps, you should stop talking till you get used to it."

"Used to what?" the Doctor asked.

The woman glanced at me. "What did you say your name was?"

"Rose Tyler," I said.

She raised her eyebrows at me. "Odd. Usually the truth field has more of an effect on newcomers."

I smiled slightly. "I'm an open book."

"I still love Bananas!" the Doctor shouted. "No! Ah, I see. Yes, of course. It's a truth field!" He clapped his hands happily. "Oh, that is so quaint! I haven't seen a truth field in _years_! Bananas are good!"

The couple chuckled. "No one can lie in this town," the man said. "Especially this close to the tower." They both smiled, and started to walk away.

"Doesn't that make life a bit difficult?" the Doctor asked.

"Not at all!" the woman called out.

"Yes!" the man cried at the same time.

"What's this place called?" Mara asked.

"It's Christmas," the woman said.

The Doctor held up a finger. "It's July."

The woman laughed. "No, the town! The town is Christmas—that's what it's called!"

"Be happy here," the man said as they walked away. "Be well!"

"How can a town be called Christmas?" Clara asked once the couple was out of earshot.

The Doctor shrugged. "I don't know. How can an island be called Easter? Maybe it's just nice here." He looked up at the rooftops of the town, and let out a slow breath. "I almost hate to find out what's wrong." He glanced at me. "Do you already know?"

I bit my lip. I could already feel the power of what was plaguing this town, but I couldn't tell him. "Why don't we go and see for ourselves?"

He sighed, but nodded. "Okay."


	27. Chapter 26

**Many thanks go out to a17al, for your kind reviews.**

* * *

**Chapter 26.**

"_Fear doesn't have to make you cruel or cowardly. Fear can make you kind."_

_-Jenna Coleman_

* * *

_POV: Jenny_

_Date: July 25_

"There you are," Dad said as we entered a tower in the center of town. "What took you so long?"

My hearts stuttered when I saw what he was looking at. Nightmare flashes of falling towards the void and a crack across the sky filled my head, followed by more recent memories of Amy Pond and the Pandorica. If this crack was what I thought it was, then we were in serious trouble.

I swallowed hard. "Is that what I think it is?"

Clara glanced back at my terrified face. "What's wrong? It's only a crack in the wall."

Dad stepped closer to the wall with the crack in it. "I knew. I always knew it wasn't over."

"What is it?" Clara asked again.

"A split in the skin of reality," Dad said bitterly. "A tiny sliver of the 26th of June, 2010. The second time the universe blew up."

Clara's eyebrows raised to her hairline. "The second time?"

"The first time was the 6th of July, 2008," I said, and shivered at the memory.

"Don't you remember, Clara?" Mum asked from her place by one of the support beams of the Tower. "You were there."

Clara's brow crinkled for a moment, and then her eyes widened. "That was real? I thought that was a dream." She turned to Mum. "Does he make a habit of blowing up the universe?"

"Oi," Dad cried, "I always manage to pull it all back together."

I snorted. "If I remember correctly, _you_ weren't the one who fixed it the first time."

"And whose TARDIS was it that blew it up the second time?" Mara asked.

Dad waved a hand at us dismissively. "Oh, just…shut up. I took responsibility for that one." He turned back towards the crack. "The point of the matter here is that the scar tissue remains—a structural weakness in the whole universe."

We all took a step back when the crack let off a burst of light.

"Whoa!" Dad shouted.

"But why would it be giving off so much power?" Mara asked.

Dad glanced over at Mum. "If someone's trying to get through it from outside our universe from somewhere else…" His eyes widened. "Of course."

Mum's lips twitched up into the barest hint of a smile. "Knew you'd put two and two together."

Dad ran out of the Tower. "Of course! It makes sense!"

"What makes sense?" I shouted as we ran after him.

He crashed his way into the TARDIS. "If you were trying to break through a wall you'd choose the weakest spot. If you were trying to break into this universe you'd choose this crack, because…no! If you were trying to break _back_ into this universe…" He spun around to face Handles. "You said Galleyfray. Why did you say Galleyfray?"

My eyes widened. I could feel the jittery excitement rolling off of him in waves.

"Analysis of message composition indicates Galleyfrayan origin, according to TARDIS databanks," Handles responded.

"You said Galleyfray was gone," Clara said.

Dad shook his head. "No. I said it was in another universe."

"You think…" Mara glanced over at Mum. "Is it?"

"Only one way to find out," she said, and nodded towards the doors. "What do you say, Doctor?"

He licked his lips, and braced his hands against the console. "Okay…the message is coming through here. The truth field must be, too. If it _is _the Time Lords…" He straightened up and pulled out a large disk.

"What's that?" Clara asked.

"Seal of the High Council of Galleyfray. Nicked it off the Master in the Death Zone. There's an algorithm imprinted in the atomic structure that we can use to decode the message." He grabbed Handles and ran back for the Tower.

We followed him quietly.

He stopped in front of the crack, and placed the disk on Handle's forehead before taking a step back.

"Dad," I said quietly, "if it is the Time Lords…"

He took my hand, and then reached out for Mara's. "They'll have to accept you. You're Time Lords, too."

Pride bubbled up in my chest. A smile spread across my face, and I kissed his cheek.

"Message decoding," Handles said.

"What if they find out I'm a Halfling?" Mara whispered. "They didn't like the Quo. They were so afraid of them that they trapped Mum in a box. What will they do to me?"

Her fear finally registered with me, and I looked up at Mum. She had locked eyes with Dad. "They'll have to go through your mum and I before they touch you," Dad said in a low tone. I knew that voice well—it was Dad at his most dangerous.

"Information available," Handles said, and we all refocused on him. "The message is a request for information."

Dad let go of our hands to wave his in the air with frustration. "It's a question—why can't you just say it's a question?"

"It is being projected through all of time and space on a repeating cycle," Handles continued.

Mum stepped forward. "Doctor—"

Dad ignored her. "The oldest question in the universe—hidden in plain sight."

"Warning," Handles said. "Translation will be available to all lifeforms in range. Translation follows…" His voice cut out and was replaced by the low, gravelly voice behind the message. "Doctor who?" it asked.

It was in that moment that all hope within my hearts died. "Doctor Who?"

Dad's eyes shot to Mum. "No…"

* * *

_POV: Rose_

_Date: July 25_

I felt the moment when his hearts stopped beating.

"Doctor Who?" the voice continued to ask.

"No…" he muttered, and dropped our daughters' hands.

Clara glanced between the four of us. "I don't understand."

The Doctor took a couple of steps towards the crack. "A question only I could answer. A truth field to make sure I'm not lying…" He looked over at me. "And incentive to comply. If I give my name, they'll know they've found the right place and that it's safe to come through."

Clara's eyebrows scrunched together. "Okay, so what, then? If you answer the question and they come back, what happens?"

The Doctor handed Clara a small device that looked similar to a sonic screwdriver. "You need to take this to the TARDIS and put it in the charger slot for the sonic."

She cocked her head to the side. "Why?"

His eyes flickered up at me. "Hell. All hell, that's what happens if the Time Lords come back. There's half a universe up there already waiting to open fire. Now please, go to the TARDIS and just do as I say. Mara, Jen, go with her."

They glanced at each other, and nodded. "Okay Dad," Mara said, and followed Clara out of the Tower.

Jenny stood her ground. "We know what you're doing."

He sighed heavily. "Just make sure she gets home safe."

"Don't think we're going to stay away," Jenny said firmly.

The Doctor chuckled. "I wouldn't dream of it. Just make sure Clara's safe."

She nodded, and turned away to leave.

He looked to me then. "You knew."

I stared at him sadly. "The curse of the Quo," I said, and let out a short chuckle. "Too much foresight."

"You know what this means, then," he said, and his shoulders sagged. "I can't save you."

I swallowed. "I know."

"Doctor," a voice boomed. "Speak with me."

I nodded towards the doors. "You're being hailed."

"Doctor!" she shouted again. "Face me now!"

He sighed, and looked up towards the ceiling before making his way towards the stairs. "One thing before I face the music," he said, and turned back to me. "This planet, Rose…what's it called?"

I pursed my lips. "Trenzalore."

All of the blood left his face. "Ah," he said, and turned back to the stairs. "Well then, best not to miss my final curtain call ay?"

"Doctor!" the woman shouted.

I swallowed hard. From this point on there was nothing I could do for him.

I turned towards the crack. "Of all the races in all the worlds, you are by far the cruelest."


	28. Chapter 27

**Many thanks go out to tscheby, for your lovely review.**

* * *

**Chapter 27.**

_"Here we are, trapped up in the amber of the moment. There is no why."_

_-Kurt Vonnegut_

* * *

_POV: Mara_

_Date: December 25, 2013_

Clara looked up at us after she slammed the device Dad had given her into the console port. "Okay, what now?" She looked up at the time rotor. "Is that it? Are you doing a clever thing?"

I swallowed, and glanced at Jenny. "You could say that."

The TARDIS came to a stop, and Clara grinned. "Done." She ran for the doors. "Well come on!" she shouted when Jenny and I lingered behind.

I sighed. "I'll do it," I said, and followed her to the doors.

She paused after running a couple of steps out of the TARDIS. "No."

"I'm sorry, Clara," I said, and slammed the doors shut.

"Don't you dare! No, no!" she shouted.

Jenny had already started up the flight sequence by the time I joined her at the console. The TARDIS was shaking viciously around us. "What's got her acting up?" I cried over the groaning engines.

My sister glanced at one of the monitors, and let out an exasperated sound. "Clara's clinging on to the doors!"

I had to laugh as I inputted the right sequence to compensate for Clara. "You'd think Dad would know better by now."

Jenny laughed with me. "I doubt he'll ever learn."

"Hang on, Clara!" I called out towards the doors. "It's going to be a bumpy one!"

"Ha!" Jenny shouted. "Allons-y!"

I grinned. "Geronimo!"

* * *

_POV: Rose_

_Date: December 25 _

I had gasped when I felt the TARDIS reenter the vortex with an external passenger. She was expending a great amount of energy to keep Clara safe, and that energy hit me like a brick wall.

"What is it?"

I had looked up to see the Doctor descending the staircase to rejoin me. I swallowed. "I think Mara and Jen are going to be a little late."

He had bounded the last couple of steps down the stairs. "Why? What's wrong?"

I had shaken my head. "They're fine. Clara's the one causing the trouble." I'd snorted at that. "It seems as though you underestimated her determination to be here with you. She's clinging to the side of the TARDIS. It may take the old girl a while to get back here."

The Doctor had swallowed then. "You mean…I'm stuck here? And Mara and Jen? I may not see them again?"

I'd narrowed my eyes at him. "What do you mean you might not see them again?"

He'd sighed, and looked down at his feet for a moment before bringing his eyes back up to mine. "Rose, you know why."

I had felt a cold weight settle within me then. Because I did know why—I just hadn't wanted to admit it. The Doctor was dying. This body was his last.

I had nodded then. "I do."

Time seemed to pass all at once after that. The Doctor, ever faithful to his promises, stayed true to the one he had given the people of Christmas. Day and night he fought whatever enemy tried to ransack the town. I helped where I could, but with the TARDIS so far away—and my box in the ship—there was only so much power I could draw on.

But the Doctor and I became more than just defenders of the small town. After a year or so, the Doctor took up repair work, and I worked as a schoolteacher. It felt good to put the knowledge I had stuffed in my mind to use.

Every now and then I would test how close the TARDIS was by trying to make myself corporeal. It rarely worked, but every once in a while I would be able to brush my fingers against something, or feel air enter my lungs. The Doctor and I also worked on reestablishing our bond. Even with a lack of physical touch, we managed to develop a low-range telepathic field, and to firmly reestablish our empathic bond. And for a while, these small victories were enough to give us hope.

The hardest thing, however, was watching the Doctor age.

I had always known his bodies would age, of course. It would take longer than a human's body would, but eventually, all organisms give out. And it would have been easier had I not known this was his final body, but I did. And the thought of his life ending, while mine had no foreseeable end, hurt more than I cared to admit.

Whenever these thoughts passed through my head, I always remembered something the Doctor himself had once told me. _You wither and you die. Imagine watching that happen to someone who you—_

I could finish the end of that sentence for myself.

But life wasn't all bad here. The townspeople were, truly, like one large family. And they happily invited the Doctor and I into that family. When our days and nights weren't filled with fighting off all the monsters in the universe, the two of us were participating in town gatherings and celebrations.

It was during one of these celebrations that I felt a familiar song resonate in my consciousness.

I gasped, and turned to the Doctor. "_She's here."_

The Doctor glanced up from the boy he was talking to. "_I hear her."_

The boy—Barnable's—eyes widened. "What is it? What's that noise?"

The Doctor picked up his cane as the TARDIS started to materialize. "Three hundred years? You lot couldn't make her go any faster than that? I would have understood if she hadn't had any pilots, but honestly!"

I swallowed down the bitterness in his voice and attempted to control my irritation that he would speak to our daughters that way. "_Doctor, relax."_

His irritation subsided into guilt. "_Sorry. Guess I'm starting to act my age, ay?"_

"What's that?" Barnable asked, and pointed to the TARDIS.

"It's my ship," the Doctor explained as he continued to hobble towards the old girl.

"Your what?"

The Doctor let out a loud breath. "It's my TARDIS. That's how I got here in the first place."

Barnable looked up at me. "Does that mean you're leaving?"

I granted the boy a small smile. "We'll see."

It was only now that I noticed that there was someone clinging to the outside doors of the TARDIS. I couldn't hold back my chuckle when I recognized the figure. The Doctor should know better than to send away his companions by now.

The Doctor reached out and jabbed Clara with his cane as the doors of the TARDIS opened. Mara and Jenny came bounding out—only to stop in their tracks at the sight of their father.

"What are you doing here?" the Doctor shouted at Clara.

She let out a shaky breath. "I was in space." Her eyes were stuck open wide and her posture was rigid.

Jenny crossed her arms. "Don't you know better than to send people away by now?"

The Doctor jabbed a finger in Clara's direction. "You should be at home!"

"You tricked me!" she cried, and I could see tears in her eyes.

"I saved you!" the Doctor countered.

"You didn't even say goodbye!" she shot back.

I felt the Doctor's small flare of guilt over that. "I'm furious with you!"

"Well, I am not even talking to you!" Clara shrieked.

They glared at each other for a moment before breaking into laughter. "C'mere," the Doctor said, and pulled her into a hug.

I smiled. "There's my Doctor."

I watched as the Doctor reunited with Jenny and Mara before all four of them walked back towards the town gathering.

"Are those your girls, Mrs. Tyler?" one of the women behind me asked.

I nodded. "Jen and Mara, yeah."

"They're lovely," she said.

I glanced over my shoulder to see who was talking. It was Esther, one of the younger nurses who worked in the clinic in town. I smiled at her. "Thank you."

"Now then," Mara said, "what's been going on here while we've all been away?"

The Doctor and I shared a look. "Why don't I take you lot into the Tower while the Doctor checks on his ship?"

"Okay," Clara said, and the Doctor headed for the TARDIS while I led the other three towards the Tower.

"Wow," Jenny said quietly.

I glanced around. The walls and benches were filled with children's drawings and various bits of toys the Doctor was working on. I smiled softly. "Your Dad had to keep himself busy somehow when the monsters were taking a break."

Clara grinned. "Oh, Doctor. Fixing toys and fighting monsters."

Mara chuckled. "I would expect nothing less."

"The turkey isn't done yet!" the Doctor shouted as he entered the Tower.

"Clara's turkey?" Jenny asked. "Blimey, how long do you think it'll take?"

He shrugged. "Looks like another hour or so."

"Is it still asking the question?" Clara asked with her eyes fixed on the crack in the wall.

The Doctor and I shared another look. He sighed heavily. "Oh, never stops." He grabbed Clara by the wrist then. "Come, all of you. Come upstairs. It's almost time."

"What for?" Clara asked.

"Dawn," I said. "This planet's daytime only lasts for a few minutes."

"You don't want to miss it," the Doctor said as he tugged Clara up the stairs.

Mara and Jenny both looked over at me. "How are you both, really?"

I swallowed, and offered them both a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about us. Your Dad and I will always be fine, no matter what."

"Jenny! Grab Handles!" the Doctor shouted.

"Okay!" Jenny shouted back, and looked around the room. "Where's Handles?"

I pointed towards a workbench close to the door. She grabbed the Cyberman head before the three of us headed up the stairs.

Jenny handed Handles off to the Doctor as we stepped onto the roof. The Doctor had started a small fire and had already gathered blankets to distribute.

I sat beside him as we all settled in. He glanced at me, and offered his hand. I closed my eyes to concentrate for a moment before reaching out to take it.

We both let out a small breath as our hands intertwined. "_You know, we're eventually going to have to tell them about your…condition,"_ I said.

He pulled in a deep breath. _"I know. But let them be ignorant for just a little while longer. I can't tell them yet, Rose, it'll break my hearts."_

I nodded, and used as much power as I could manage to squeeze his hand. _"Okay."_


	29. Chapter 28

**Thank you's go out to a17al, for your review on last chapter.**

* * *

**Chapter 28.**

_"I am not afraid of aging, but more afraid of people's reactions to my aging."_

_-Barbara Hershey_

* * *

_POV: Jenny_

_Date: December 25_

"Well, it's a standoff," Dad said, and plopped a marshmallow into his mouth. "They can't attack in case I unleash the Time Lords, and I can't run away, because they'll burn this planet to stop the Time Lords from returning. Hey, after all these years, I've finally found somewhere that needs me to stick around. A town called Christmas, could've been worse."

I looked over at Mum. "And you're…you're okay with just being stuck here? Both of you?"

She shrugged. "It's not like I have anywhere else to be, is it?"

Dad reached out and adjusted Handles. "Right, there you go buddy. Comfy?"

"Comfort is irrelevant," the Cyberman answered.

Dad adjusted him again. "How's that; is that better?"

"Affirmative," Handles said in a muted voice.

"You just take it easy, buddy." Dad looked up at us. "He's getting old. I do my best for him, but I just can't get the parts, you know." He chuckled, and stretched his arms. "I know the feeling." He passed around the bag of marshmallows. "Have a s'more."

"Where did you get these?" Mara asked.

"We have a supplier. Try the pink ones, Jen, they're the best."

"I have developed a fault," Handles said suddenly.

Dad waved him off. "Hey, don't you worry, Handles. You're just dreaming. The sun's coming up very soon. You just hand on in there, yeah?"

"I have developed a fault," Handles repeated. "I-I have dev-v-veloped a fault."

"Hey, Handles, come on." Dad picked up the Cyberman head and patted it. "One more dawn, you can do it. You've got it in you. Come on, just hang on in there."

"Attention, emergency, attention."

"Handles, what is it? What's wrong?" Dad's brow furrowed with worry.

"Urgent action is required. You must patch the telephone device back through the console unit," Handles said, and as he spoke his voice gradually slowed until it came to a stop and his lights went out.

We were all quiet for a moment. I felt a lump rise in my throat as Dad started to shake the Cyberman head. "Come back. Handles? Handles, come back."

Mum placed a hand on his arm. "He's gone, Doctor."

Dad sniffed. "Oh, thank you, Handles. Well done, mate."

"Dad…" Mara said, but was interrupted by the sight of the sun rising over the town.

We all held our breath as the light washed over the snow that covered every inch of the town. It sparkled off every surface as the sun rose higher and higher.

"What do you think of our new place?" Dad asked quietly. "Your mum and I come up here once a day for a few minutes."

"It's a reminder of what it is we're protecting," Mum said softly.

"It's so beautiful…" Clara whispered, and then turned her eyes on Dad. "Why did you try to send me away?"

Dad swallowed. "Because if I hadn't, we'd have buried you a long time ago."

Clara shook her head. "No, you wouldn't have. I would never have let you all get stuck here."

"Ha!" Dad laughed. "Everyone gets stuck somewhere eventually, Clara. Everything ends."

"Except all of you," Clara whispered, and leaned forward with a familiar gleam in her eyes. "None of you die. You just change. You pop right back up with a new face." She glanced at Mum. "Right?"

Mum swallowed, and shared a look with Dad. "Not forever, Clara."

Mara and I glanced at each other. "What are you trying to say, Mum?" I asked, and turned my eyes to Dad. "You do have more regenerations left, don't you?"

Dad sighed heavily. "Twelve regenerations. That's how many I have. Thirteen versions of me, thirteen…silly Doctors."

Clara nodded. "Okay, so you're number eleven, so…"

Dad shook his head. "You're forgetting Captain Grumpy. I didn't call myself the Doctor during the Time War, but it was still a regeneration."

"So you're number twelve," I said.

Dad glanced at Mum. "Well, number ten once regenerated and kept the same face." He shrugged. "I had vanity issues at the time."

Mum chuckled. "I didn't mind."

Dad briefly smiled, and turned his eyes back to us. "Twelve regenerations. I can't ever do it again. This is where I end up." He looked out over the landscape as the sun began to set. "This face, this version of me. We saw this planet in the future, remember? All those graves, one of them mine."

"So change the future," Mara said, "you do it all the time."

Dad shook his head. "I can't."

My hearts felt constricted and I was finding it increasingly difficult to breathe. This couldn't be it. This couldn't be the last time I would ever see my Dad.

"But you've got the TARDIS," I said, "can't she help somehow?" Even as I asked the question, I knew the answer. There was nothing that could be done for him.

Dad looked insulted. "Do you think I'm just going to fly away and abandon everyone?"

"Of course not," Clara said, "but you've been protecting this town for over three hundred years. Do you not think it's anybody else's go yet?"

Dad shook his head. "There's no one else to protect it."

"There's me," Mum said.

He glanced at her, and shook his head vigorously. "No. Absolutely not. I am not exiling you here."

"Doctor—"

"_No_, Rose," he said firmly.

"But, Doctor, it's not going to be you forever," Clara interjected. "It'll end the same way, whatever you do."

"Every life I save is a victory," Dad countered. "_Every single one_."

"What about your life?" I demanded. "Isn't that worth something?"

He sighed. "I don't know anymore."

Mara reached out to take his hand. "Dad, it's worth something to us."

"Listen to your family," Clara said with a new urgency in her voice. "Just for once, after all this time, have you not earned the right to think about your own life?"

Dad swallowed, and looked away from all of us.

Mara leaned back, and Clara straightened up. "Sorry. You haven't seen any of us for over three hundred years. We shouldn't be having this argument right now."

He chuckled. "Clara, Rose and I have had that argument for centuries."

Mum let out a small smile. "It's good to hear someone else take the opposing side."

We all looked up as thunder sounded across the sky and Tasha Lem's holographic face appeared. "Doctor!"

"Ah," Dad said with a sigh, "look who's woken up."

"The Church of the Silence requests parlay. Your rights and safety are sanctified."

Dad slowly brought himself to his feet. "I'll be right up."

* * *

_POV: Rose_

_Date: December 25_

"You should come this time," the Doctor said as the others headed back down to the ground level of the Tower.

I shook my head. "You know what Tasha would do. She'd perceive my presence as an act of aggression. Besides, how awkward would it be to have the wife and the ex in the same room?" I asked with a much needed tongue-in-cheek smile.

He looked at me with pleading eyes. "I need you there, Rose."

I swallowed, but nodded. "Fine. But at the first sign that she's discovered what I am, I leave."

"Deal," he said, and headed out of the Tower towards Tasha's transporter.

I sucked in my cheeks as we all climbed onto the teleporter. "This is a very bad idea."

The Doctor grinned at me. "I know." He offered me his hand. "Isn't it great?"

I shook my head as a smile broke out over my face. "You're so daft."

I took his hand as we were teleported up to the ship. I blinked as I felt my consciousness being broken apart and reassembled on the other side of the teleporter. The sensation vaguely reminded me of when I had broken open the TARDIS to save my Doctor. It was not a pleasant reminder.

The hand that was still holding the Doctor's tingled as we broke apart. "Okay?" he asked, and looked at me with worried eyes.

I shook myself, and nodded. "Yeah, let's get on with it shall we?" My eyes nervously flickered around the great hall as we walked up a red carpet towards what looked like a stage, really. At the top of a short set of stairs stood the woman I assumed to be Tasha Lem.

"She hasn't aged much," Clara whispered.

"No, she's against ageing," the Doctor whispered back.

I heard Mara snort. "Aren't we all?"

I couldn't help but smile at her wit. I had missed my girls.

"Approach!" Tasha commanded.

"Bossy," Jenny grumbled.

"Oi, hush," the Doctor hissed.

Clara yelped when a Silence approached us. "_Confess_," it demanded.

"What are those things?" Clara asked.

"Confessional priests," the Doctor explained. "Very popular. Genetically engineered so you forget everything you told them."

His companion looked back over at him, and a confused expression crossed her face. "Told who?"

"There you go."

I half smiled when Clara looked back at me for an explanation. "It's a long story."


	30. Chapter 29

**Many thanks go out to pannybaby123, for your review.**

* * *

**Chapter 29.**

_"It's not denial. I'm just selective about the reality I accept."_

_-Bill Watterson_

* * *

_POV: Mara_

_Date: December 25_

No matter what my Dad said, we were going to find a way to save him. I refused to believe that this would be his final face.

"Where are the pink ones?" Dad demanded as he looked inside a box of supplies Tasha had just slid towards him.

Tasha sighed. "That's all there is. You're hyper enough as it is."

Clara leaned over the table. "So, this is sweet. Middle of a siege and you two have little chats?"

Tasha glanced at her, and huffed. "She's right. This situation cannot continue."

"It can't end, either," Dad countered.

I saw Mum nervously shift on her feet to stand closer to Dad's side. I could feel her anxiety over being exposed to Tasha. That woman was the last person who should know my Mum still existed.

"Why did you ever come to Trenzalore?" Tasha asked suddenly. "You were free. You had your family, why risk it all to come here?"

Dad's eyes flickered over Jenny and I before he shrugged. "Well, I did come to Trenzalore, and nothing can change that now. Didn't stop you lot from trying to keep me away though, did it?"

Mother Superior shook her head. "Not me. The Kovarian Chapter broke away. They traveled back along your timeline and tried to prevent you from ever reaching the planet on their own."

"So that's who blew up my TARDIS," Dad said, and waved a hand dismissively. "I thought I'd left the bath running."

Tasha crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair as she regarded Dad. "They blew up your time capsule, which created the very cracks in the universe the Time Lords are now calling—"

"The destiny trap," Dad finished, and cast his eyes to the floor. "Can't change history if you're part of it." His voice was bitter as he glanced up at me.

I bit my lip. I knew he could feel how determined I was to save him. He was warning me not to try. I shook my head. I couldn't do that.

Tasha smirked. "They engineered a psychopath to kill you."

Dad's lips pulled up into a smug smile of his own. "Totally married her. I'd never have made it here alive without River Song."

I glanced up at Mum. She swallowed at the sound of River's name, but otherwise showed no emotion. It unnerved me that I still couldn't tell what she was feeling.

"I'm not interested in changing history, Doctor. I want to change the future." She leaned forward to clasp her hands above the table. "The Daleks send for reinforcements daily. They are massing for war. Three days ago, they attacked the Mainframe itself."

"They attacked here?"

"How did you stop them?" Clara asked.

"They couldn't have," Mum said, and she stepped away from Dad. "Mara, Jen, get away from her."

I did as I was told as my brow crinkled with confusion. "What is it, Mum?"

"How did they stop them?" Jenny asked.

Tasha turned her eyes on my sister, and I shivered at how lifeless they looked. "Stop them? It was slaughter."

"Why didn't you call me?" Dad demanded. "I could have helped."

"I tried!" Tasha exclaimed. "I died in this room screaming _your _name!"

Everyone in the room froze.

"Oh," the woman only mere feet in front of me said, "I died." She looked up at Dad. "It's funny the things that slip your mind…ah!" she cried out as a familiar eyestalk grew out of her forehead.

"Step away from the Dalek unit, Doctor!"

Jenny and I locked hands and closed around Clara. I reached for my screwdriver, and aimed it towards the Daleks as they rolled into the center of the room.

Dad glared at the pepper pots. "You shouldn't even know who I am."

"Information concerning the Doctor was harvested from the cadaver of Tasha Lem!" the apparent leader shouted.

I felt Clara grab onto my arm. "What are we going to do?" she whispered in a trembling voice.

"Stay quiet," Jenny commanded. "Dad might be able to buy us time."

I swallowed as Dad took a couple of steps towards the Daleks. "Bet she never told you how to break through the Trenzelore force field, though. She'd have died first."

"Several times," a second Dalek said.

Dad paused at that and stared at Tasha for a moment. "Well, you'd better kill me, then. Go on. But before you do…" He pulled out his sonic and pressed down on the main button.

"_Doctor who?" _the voice from the last time Jenny and I had been on Trenzalore echoed through the room. _"Doctor who? Doctor who? Doctor who?"_

I swallowed down the fear I could feel bubbling up in my chest at the sound of those words. This was not going to be the last day for Dad.

* * *

_POV: Rose_

_Date: December 25_

Things weren't exactly going according to plan. Although I hadn't exactly expected them to. I had just thought things would go wrong when Tasha found out what I was, not when she turned out to be a Dalek. You would think, being a Quo, that I should have seen that coming.

"You will die in silence, Doctor, or your associates will die," the main Dalek said as the others pointed their weapons towards our daughters, Clara, and me.

The Doctor glanced around at the four of us. "Fine, go on then, kill them."

I sucked in a deep breath. The rage I could feel rolling off of him burned as it washed over me in waves.

"Kill them!" he ordered. "See if I care. But tell me, what are you going to do next?"

The Daleks seemed to consider their answer. "See how the Time Lord betrays."

I laughed at that. "You're one to talk about betrayal," I said. "You'll just kill us anyway, regardless of what the Doctor chooses to do so what does it matter?"

"We're not afraid," Clara added, and raised her eyebrows in challenge. "Can you say the same?"

The Doctor laughed. "You see, Tasha? That's what I'm talking about." He pointed towards me. "_That_ is a woman!" I smirked as he spun around on his heel to march towards Tasha. "I always knew you were a bit spineless, you and your pointless church. Why did I ever rely on you? Never trust a nun to do a Doctor's work."

Tasha broke her aim on Jenny to turn and slap the Doctor before whipping back around to shoot the other Daleks.

"And she's back!" the Doctor shouted. "You never could resist a row."

Tasha tried to catch her breath as the eyestalk receded back into her forehead. She jabbed a finger in the Doctor's direction. "You didn't tell me your wife followed you to the surface."

I crossed my arms. "Is that a problem?"

Tasha raised an eyebrow at me. "Of course not."

The Doctor's eyes flickered between us nervously. "Right, get us back to the TARDIS. Can you do that?"

Tasha broke eye contact with me to turn to something that looked like a photo booth. "Yes, but quickly. The Dalek inside of me is waking."

"Fight it," the Doctor ordered.

"I _can't_."

He glared at her. "Listen to me. You have been fighting the psychopath inside of you all your life. Shut up and _win_. That's an order, Tasha Lem."

Mara and Jenny got into the opposite teleport booth, and Clara went in with the Doctor. Tasha glanced back at me. "I can only do this once."

I sucked in my cheeks nervously, and waved a hand. "That won't be a problem."

Tasha narrowed her eyes at me before turning back to the Doctor. "The force field will hold for a while, but it will decay, and there are breaches already."

"Then this isn't a siege anymore, it's a war. It's all up to you now. Fight the Daleks - inside and out. You can do it, I know you can."

The woman glared at him. "Oh, I see. You've got your TARDIS back, haven't you? Time to fly away!"

"Just get us down there," Jenny barked.

I smiled. "That's my girl," I said softly.

Tasha sighed heavily and shook her head at the Doctor. "Well, none of this was for you, you fatuous egotist. It was for the peace. Fly away, Doctor!" she shouted, and started up the teleporter.

I closed my eyes, and followed them down to the surface.

A bell went off as I settled myself in front of the console.

"It's done," the Doctor said.

"What is?" Clara asked.

"Your turkey," he said, "either that or it's woken up."

His companion giggled and ran towards the underside of the console room. "Do you want some?"

"Go on then," he laughed.

"Got any plates?"

"Do you know, I've even got Christmas crackers!"

She paused on her descent, and marched back over to stand toe-to-toe with the Doctor. "One thing. Give me those big sad eyes. Look at me so I know you're not lying, and tell me you will never send me away ever again."

I swallowed at the all-too-familiar request. The Doctor smiled at her gently. "Clara Oswald, I will never send you away again."

She may not of seen it, but I did. I didn't need our link to see the lie in his eyes.

Clara kissed his cheek and ran back down to the lower level of the TARDIS. "Turkey smells good!"

The Doctor looked over at Jenny and Mara, and I saw the light go out of his face. "Keep her safe."

Jenny nodded, and followed Clara. "Want some help, Clara?"

The Doctor headed towards the doors of the TARDIS. He kissed Mara's forehead as he passed her. "You don't have to come back, you know. You and Jen can still live your lives."

"Don't be ridiculous," she answered.

He chuckled and continued towards the doors. I smiled at Mara as she ran for the console. "Good luck," I said.

"Love you too, Mum."

I kept my feet planted as the TARDIS dematerialized around me. "What are you doing?" the Doctor shouted.

I spun around once the ship was completely gone. "I have a promise to keep, Doctor," I said, and held out my hand. "Forever."

He glared at me for a moment before he shook his head. "Rose Tyler, what ever will I do with you?" he asked, and took my hand.

I granted him a tongue-in-teeth smile. "Come on you daft alien. We have a town to protect."


	31. Chapter 30

**Many thanks go out to pannybaby123, for your review.**

* * *

**Chapter 30.**

_"How old would you be if you didn't know how old you were?"_

_-Satchel Paige_

* * *

_POV: Jenny_

_Date: December 25_

Watching my father age and wither away was the single hardest thing I had ever had to experience.

After Mara and I had successfully left Clara back on Earth, we returned to Trenzalore to help Dad protect the town, and to help Mum take care of him. He never liked to admit it, but even then he was getting too old to protect himself, let alone Christmas, all on his own.

I could only imagine how hard it was for Mum to watch how Dad began to physically change. He was no longer the bright-eyed, floppy haired man I had met centuries ago. Now he was a wrinkled old man with white hair that had long ago begun to fall out. And all the while, Mum never aged a day.

What was worse, though, were the mental lapses that had only recently developed. As the years passed, I watched my father go from a determined man set on saving every life he came across, to a man who could barely remember the names of his children. He never forgot Mum's name, though, and that gave me hope during the darkest days.

The whole process was the hardest on Mara. She still refused to believe that our father was dying, despite the evidence set right in front of her. I longed to be able to shield her from the process, but I couldn't care for him and defend the town alone. We were all that either of them had now. We couldn't fail them. Not now.

When the day finally came, I could feel it in my bones. Mum and I had shared a look as we watched that day's sunrise, and as the light peeked over the tops of the trees, I knew.

"It's time," she said with tears in her eyes.

I nodded, and descended back down to the ground floor of the Tower.

Mara glanced up from her place next to Dad. "Where are you going?"

I swallowed hard as Dad looked up at me. He knew. I could see it in his eyes. "There's someone that should be here. I'll be back soon." I silently turned and made my way towards the TARDIS.

The ship sang out a greeting as I closed her doors behind me and allowed only a couple of the tears I was holding back to leak out of my eyes. "I missed you, too." I pulled in a slow, shaky breath. "Do you know where we're going?"

She chirped an affirmative.

"Can you take us there?" I whispered.

I felt the engines start up, and pushed myself away from the doors. I wiped my eyes, and ran to the console to keep us steady as we tumbled through the vortex. I successfully landed her, and waited.

It didn't take long for the doors to fly open. Clara paused when she saw my face, and slowly closed the doors behind her. "Where's Mara?"

I sniffed, and wiped my eyes again. "Not here. She's with Dad."

"What's happened to him?" she demanded, and ran towards the console. "Jenny?"

I started up the flight sequence again. "You knew what was happening to him the last time you saw him, Clara," I said. "He's dying."

She was quiet as we landed. I walked over to her and offered my hand.

Her eyes slowly trailed up from the floor to my face. "What am I supposed to do?"

I took her hand. "This is the only chance you'll have to say goodbye."

Her breath caught in her throat, but she nodded. We made our way out of the TARDIS. While I'd been gone, another battle had started. She and I ducked and dodged fires as we made our way towards the Tower.

I stopped us at the door. "Can you handle this?"

Clara let out a sarcastic puff of air. "How should I know?"

I sighed, but opened the door. "Dad?"

"Barnable?" he asked as we entered the Tower.

"No," I said, and glanced at Clara. Her eyes were wide as she took in the Doctor. "It's your daughter, Jenny."

"And Clara," Clara squeaked when I gently pushed her towards him. She cautiously took a couple of steps forward. "Hello, Doctor."

Mum stood up from her place on the stairs as Clara knelt down in front of the Doctor. He smiled at her, but it was weak. "Clara. Were you always so young?"

Mum and I shared a relieved glance when he remembered her. "Where's Mara?" I asked.

She swallowed, and nodded towards the roof. "She's having a hard time."

I let out a slow breath, and headed up the stairs. I found my sister huddled in a blanket staring out over the valley. It was littered with fires from the skirmishes that were going on, and yet, it was still beautiful.

"Mara?"

I saw her wipe away her tears before turning to me. "You're back."

I nodded, and came to stand next to her. "Clara's downstairs if you want to say hello."

She swallowed, and looked away. "How are you doing this?"

"What?" I asked.

"Being so strong," she whispered. "I can barely manage to make it through the day without crying at least five times. I haven't ever seen you cry."

I stared down at my hands. "You know better than anyone that just because you don't see me cry doesn't mean I'm not."

She glanced up at me. "Sorry."

"For what?"

She reached out and squeezed my hand. "I sometimes forget how long you've had to be the strong one."

I felt a smile flicker over my lips as I wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "You've really grown up, haven't you?"

Mara laughed. "I would hope that after three hundred years I've at least grown a little."

I laughed with her, and kissed her cheek. "We'll make it through this, sis, you'll see."

She sighed, and leaned her head against my shoulder. "I hope you're right."

* * *

_POV: Rose_

_Date: December 25_

I watched silently as Clara offered the Doctor the Christmas crackers.

"Merry Christmas," she said.

He smiled at her, and there was a light in his eyes that I hadn't seen in a long time. "Merry Christmas."

I couldn't watch when they pulled on the package together. The Doctor didn't have enough strength to pull his half, and I could feel his frustration and embarrassment over that fact.

"Hey, it's okay," Clara said as she reached out to wrap her hand around his. "It's alright, don't worry."

Finally, the package opened with a loud pop.

I bit my lip and cautiously stepped closer. "Is there a joke, Doctor?" I asked as I sat down next to him with a forced smile. "You always did love a good cracker joke."

He looked surprised when I came into his view. "Rose, what are you doing here?"

I focused on my hand before laying it on his arm. "I'm helping you protect Christmas, remember?"

He looked confused for a moment, before he nodded. "Of course, yes, Christmas!"

"Clara, why don't you read us the cracker?"

She pulled out the piece of paper. "Extract from Thoughts on a Clock, by Eric Ritchie junior."

"Is there a knock-knock joke?" the Doctor asked. "Those are the best."

She shook her head before leaning against his knee. "I don't think it's one of those."

"Well read it, go on," he said.

She glanced up at me, and I nodded. "Don't keep us in suspense, Clara."

She turned back to the paper. "And now it's time for one last bow, like all your other selves. Eleven's hour is over now. The clock is striking twelve's."

The Doctor looked at me with confused eyes. "I don't get it."

"Doctor!" an all-too familiar voice boomed. "The Doctor will be brought! The Daleks demand the Doctor!"

Footsteps pounded down the stairs. "Dad, they're hovering directly over the Tower!" Jenny shouted.

A young man named Caius burst through the front doors. "They're here. The Daleks, we can't stop them. They want the Doctor."

My Doctor looked up at the boy. "Oh, alright, Barnable." He squinted his eyes. "Are you Barnable?"

Caius' face fell. "No, Doctor."

"This is Caius, Doctor," I said, "Barnable's great-great grandson." I looked up at Caius. "Thank you, Caius."

The Doctor glanced between me and Caius. "Don't worry, Caius, I've got a plan." He tapped his nose. "Off you pop."

He didn't have a plan. There was no plan that could possibly work at this point. No plan that wouldn't end in the loss of too many lives, at least.

"I haven't got a plan, but people love it when I say that," the Doctor admitted before attempting to stand up.

Clara helped him to his feet. I hated that I couldn't do it myself.

"Doctor, what are you going to do?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. Talk very fast, hope something good happens, take the credit. That's generally how it works."

"Doctor—"

"Not this time, though," he said, and paused in his trek to the stairs to take a breath. "This is it." He looked over at me. "I always thought I'd be alone when the end finally came."

I gave him a small, halfhearted smile. "As if I would allow that to happen."

He smiled back at me before turning back towards the stairs.

Mara stepped in front of his path. "Dad, don't go out there. Let us handle this."

The Doctor reached out to cup her cheek. "Oh, little cricket. We've all got to die sometime. You can't save anyone from the inevitable." He kissed her cheek. "Be good, eh? You and Jen take care of each other and my TARDIS."

"No!" Clara shouted, and ran to Mara's side. "This isn't going to be the end."

"Yes, it is," he said. "We saw the future, Clara. This is how it ends."

"Then change it," Mara shot back. "There's always a way to change the future."

Jenny and I shared a look, and I could see my defeat reflected in her expression. "Mara—"

"I could have changed the future once, when there were Time Lords, but they're gone. And they need to _stay_ gone." The Doctor pushed past Mara and his companion and continued towards the stairs.

Jenny grabbed his hand as he passed.

He stopped, and looked over at her. "I have to, Jen."

"Locate the Doctor!" the Dalek voice commanded.

Jenny swallowed. "I know."

He glanced back at all of us. "Promise me you will all stay here, no matter what happens now."

"Why?" Clara demanded through tears.

He looked down at his hands. "I'll be keeping you safe." He looked back up at Mara, and shrugged. "One last victory. Allow me that; give me that." He looked over at me. _"Keep them safe."_

I nodded. _"It's a promise."_

"_Rose…"_

I felt my lips twitch. _"I know."_

"Thank you, all of you," the Doctor said, "goodbye." He turned then, and headed up the stairs.

"The Doctor is required!" the Dalek voice shouted.

Clara furiously wiped at her tears and glared at me. "How could you just let him go like that?" she demanded. "You must know what will happen."

I swallowed, and shook my head. "I don't. The future is still being decided, Clara."

"What does that mean?" Mara demanded.

I kept my eyes on my Doctor's companion. "It means it's out of my hands."

Clara blinked, and spun around towards the crack that was still shining in the wall. She marched over to it furiously.

"Clara—?"

"Listen to me, you lot, listen! Help him. Help him change the future. Do it! Do _something_." She looked back at me. "It can't end this way."

"Doctor!" the Dalek shouted.

"Clara, they're not listening," Jenny said softly, and tried to pull Clara away from the crack.

She shook Jenny off and stepped even closer to the wall. She knelt down on her knees in front of it, and placed her hands along its edges.

She leaned in close to it. "You've been asking a question, and it's time someone told you, you've been getting it wrong." She brushed her hands along its edge. "His name…his name is the Doctor. All the name he needs, everything you need to know about him. And if you love him…" She glanced up at the three of us who were still watching her. "And you should. Help him."

She sighed, and stood up.

"Clara…" Jenny started to step forward, when the crack abruptly snapped closed.

I felt a smile spread across my face as the blurry golden lines at the ends of my senses started to fade away until there was only one, bright and shining future.

"The moment is here," I said.


	32. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31.**

_"The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new."_

_-Socrates_

* * *

_POV: Rose_

_Date: December 25_

I followed my daughters and Clara as they ran outside. They were looking up at the sky. I followed their gazes, and sure enough, there was the crack.

I smiled when I saw the wisps of gold fly towards the Tower. "Oh, I had hoped you lot would make the right choice," I murmured.

"You will die now, Doctor. This is the end of you." A Dalek voice from the ship above us boomed across the sky. "The rules of regeneration are known. You have expended all your lives."

"Mum, what's just happened?" Mara asked as the crack disappeared from the sky.

"Just watch," I said.

I saw the Doctor stand up. "Sorry, what did you say? Did you mention the rules? Now, listen. Bit of advice. Tell me the truth if you think you know it. _Lay down the law_ if you're feeling brave. But, Daleks, never _ever_ tell me the rules!"

"Emergency! Emergency! The Doctor is regenerating! The Doctor is regenerating!"

I turned to Jenny. "Get your sister and Clara back into the TARDIS. Now."

She nodded, and grabbed Mara by the arm. "Let's go."

"Exterminate! Exterminate the Doctor," the Dalek cried out frantically.

"You think you can stop me now, Daleks?" the Doctor demanded. "If you want my life, ha, ha, come and get it!" he shouted as golden flame shot out from one of his hands.

I could hear Clara yelling at the townspeople to get inside. I glanced back to make sure she, Mara, and Jenny were out of harm's way before I closed my eyes. My Doctor didn't need me to see this.

I opened my eyes once I was back in the TARDIS.

I felt the exact moment the Doctor burst into flame. Not only did it cause a spark to light up across our bond - the shock wave rippled out across the universe in one great burst of energy. I knew that there was no creature that didn't feel it at least on an unconscious level. There was no escape from it.

I kept my eyes on the TARDIS doors. There was nothing to do now but wait.

It didn't take long for him to make his way into the TARDIS. I swallowed when familiar green eyes met mine. It wasn't over yet.

"You knew," he said quietly. "You knew this would happen." There was no accusation in his words. He was simply stating fact.

I shook my head. "I knew this was a possibility. One of many."

The Doctor sighed heavily, and made his way towards the underside of the console room. "Clara isn't going to take this well."

I glanced over at the TARDIS phone. "Did you ever patch the phone back through the console?"

His eyes flickered over to me. "You think I should call her?"

"Jen and Mara will try to help her through the transition," I said, "so will I, but it might not be enough. And you're going to need her, Doctor. In the days to come, you're going to need her help."

He sighed, and headed towards the phone. He dialed, and pressed the phone to his ear.

I stepped away to offer him privacy.

I heard him pull in a few labored breaths after the line had connected. "Clara."

* * *

_POV: Mara_

_Date: December 25_

The town was eerily silent after Dad's regeneration.

"Doctor?" Clara called out as her, Jen, and I emerged from our shelter.

"Maybe he went in the TARDIS," I offered.

The three of us walked over to where the ship was parked. Clara picked up the outside phone from where it dangled along the side of the TARDIS and carefully placed it back in its holder. She glanced back at us, and the worry on her face filled me with sympathy.

"Go on," I encouraged.

Clara cautiously opened the doors and stepped inside. I glanced back at Mum. Her expression was filled with the same sadness I could feel in my hearts.

Jenny grabbed my hand. "Come on."

I followed her through the doors. Once we were inside I looked around the console room cautiously. I could see a half-eaten bowl of fish fingers and custard sitting on the console, and Dad's old clothes were strewn about across the floor.

I swallowed hard, and braced myself for Clara's reaction to him arriving with a new face. She knew about regeneration already, of course, but I knew she wasn't going to take this well. She loved her Doctor too much.

We all turned at the sound of footsteps.

"Doctor!" Clara called out with relief.

My eyebrows pulled together with confusion. He'd changed back into his favorite purple suit and bowtie, and he looked at us with those same green eyes. He'd regenerated, but he'd only changed back into his younger form. How was that possible?

"Hello," he said in a quiet voice.

"Dad?" Jenny asked. "You didn't…"

"You're young again," Clara finished, and stepped closer to him. "You're okay. You didn't even change your face."

His eyes flickered to where Mum appeared next to the console, and they shared a look before he straightened up. "It's started. I can't stop it now." He walked towards the console in long strides, and I could feel the anxiety rolling off of him in waves. "This is just the reset—a whole new regeneration cycle, oh!" He picked up his custard and slurped down what was left in the bowl. "Taking a bit longer. Just breaking it in." He smiled at us before his face crumpled in pain. "Oh. Oh. Gah." He stumbled and grabbed at his left heart.

Jenny and I lurched forward to help, but he waved us off and started up the TARDIS engines.

Jenny placed a hand on his arm. "Dad…"

He looked up at her with glassy eyes. "It all just disappears, doesn't it? Everything you are, gone in a moment, like…breath on a mirror." He smiled, and spun away from her. "Any moment now, he's a-coming."

"Who's coming?" Clara asked.

"The Doctor."

She shook her head. "But you, _you_ are the Doctor."

"Yup," Dad said in a strained voice. His hands began to glow, and I pulled Clara away from him. "And I always will be. But times must change, and so must I."

Clara turned to Mum. "Can't you fix this?" she demanded.

Mum shook her head. "Everything ends, Clara. I have no power over that."

"Hey," Dad offered Mum his hand, and she slowly reached out to take it. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you."

She smiled at him, and shook her head. "You're not responsible for what happens to me, Doctor. My choices led me here, and only my choices are going to change what's happened."

"Rose Tyler," he murmured. "You've changed so much." He dropped her hand then and looked at where the rest of us were standing. "We all change, when you think about it. We're all different people all through our lives. And that's okay, that's good, you've got to keep moving. You've got to keep changing, so long as you remember all of the people that you used to be."

Clara giggled at the wide-eyed boyish expression on his face.

He sighed, and the light in his eyes softened. "I will not forget one line of this," he said, "not one day. I swear." He straightened up, and I smiled at the pride that flooded his expression. "I will always remember when the Doctor was me."

Mum took a step back as he reached up and slowly removed his bowtie. He let it hang in the air for a moment before dropping it to the floor.

"No, no!" Clara cried, and fought against my arms around her chest to try to reach him.

"Hey," Dad whispered, "you're going to be fine."

"Please don't change," she begged.

Dad lurched back as the gold fire consumed him, and I forced myself to avert my eyes until it was over. I couldn't bear to watch him change.

I felt Clara stiffen once it was finished, and looked up. Piercing blue eyes met mine as Dad surveyed the scene before him. I raised my eyebrows. This body was tall and thin, but that's not what surprised me. What I hadn't thought to expect were the grey hairs on his head and the lines on his face.

"Kidneys!" he abruptly shouted, and jerked backwards. "I've got new kidneys!" Disappointment flooded his expression, and I detected a Scottish accent to his words. "I don't like the color!"

Jenny and I exchanged a glance. He was Scottish now?

"Of your kidneys?" Clara asked.

"Oi, they're a very important organ!" Mum shouted. "Better to like them."

Dad pointed at her. "That one knows what she's talking about!"

The TARDIS suddenly jerked to the side. I braced myself against the console and let out a peal of laughter. "Here we go again!"

"What's happening?" Clara demanded.

"We're probably crashing," Dad explained. "Oh!" he shouted as the ship was jostled again.

"Into what?" Clara shouted.

"Stay calm," Dad ordered. "Just…one question." He looked up at us. "Do any of you happen to know how to fly this thing?"

Jenny and I exchanged a look before rushing to the controls. "You're in luck!" My sister shouted.

I grinned at him. "It just so happens that we're experts!"


	33. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32.**

"_The distance between insanity and genius is measured only by success."_

_-Bruce Feirstein_

* * *

_POV: Jenny_

_Date: November 8, 2014_

My father had gone completely off the deep end.

I'd known he was insane long before this latest regeneration. No one could be that manic and eccentric without harboring some kind of darkness, but now, he'd let that darkness go free. All that anger he'd kept bottled up for so many years was finally starting to come to the surface in full force. He was finally starting to lose control.

He'd even explained it to me once. Shortly after our family had developed a strong telepathic and empathic network, he'd sat both Mara and I down to talk. It was shortly after Mum had been captured by Madame Kovarian. After that first ripple of her pain that had crashed into us from across time and space, Dad had briefly lost control. He allowed all of his anger to come pouring out, and Mara and I were exposed to the full front of the Oncoming Storm for the very first time. It had terrified us, the raw power that radiated out from him, and I remembered Mara hiding away in the depths of the TARDIS for the first couple of days after she'd been reunited with Dad and I to avoid him.

"Now you understand," he'd said. "Why I have rules. But you listen to me; I will never hurt either of you." He'd taken both of our hands then, and looked on us with brown eyes that pleaded for our understanding. "Not ever. Have you got that?"

So these moments now where I could feel that control slipping and that raw power pouring out of him—these moments terrified me. But I wasn't afraid for myself. I was afraid for the rest of the universe. Because if Dad did lose all of his control, if he did allow his anger to consume him, then who could stand in his way? Who could save him from himself when there was no one with power strong enough to take him on?

What had terrified me even more was when he'd sat Clara, my sister, and I down to ask us a question.

"Am I a good man?"

The three of us had looked at each other with wide eyes. The fact that he'd asked the question wasn't scary. What scared me was that I didn't have an answer. What scared me even more was what Clara had said next.

"I…I don't know."

I left the TARDIS shortly after that, and Mara followed. We'd done our part; we'd helped Clara make the transition to this new Doctor. It was time to live our own lives again. To protect the universe from what he couldn't.

"Do you think he'll be okay?" Mara had asked me as we stepped out of the TARDIS.

I had sighed. "Honestly?" I'd glanced back at the ship. She'd hummed at me in a reassuring tone. "I don't know. But he has Clara, and he has Mum. And if anyone can keep him in line, it's the two of them."

Mara had smiled at that. "Yeah, you're right."

I didn't see her again until the day I received a call from our Dad.

"_Need help. Clara's boyfriend is dead. Cybermen on Earth."_

I immediately stood up from the table I was sitting at and started programming my Vortex Manipulator.

"_Oh, and the Master is back."_

My fingers froze for a moment and my hearts stopped. No. He couldn't be. I'd watched him die. He couldn't have survived this time. Could he?

"Hey!" my waiter—a tall man with purple skin and yellow eyes—shouted. "You haven't paid your check!"

"I wasn't going to anyway!" I shouted back, and smashed down on the right button.

"Ah; and here she is!"

I blinked as the room came into focus. My eyes narrowed as I looked around. Mara and Dad were both surrounded by UNIT soldiers in what looked like a large warehouse. Only a few feet away I could see a large airplane.

"Are…what's going on?" I asked.

"Long story," Dad said, and turned back to Kate. "Where's Clara?"

Kate cocked her head. "Clara Oswald, your assistant?"

"My friend," Dad corrected. "She was with me in Saint Paul's."

Mara and I shared a glance as the two of them started walking for the airplane. _"What's going on?" _I asked as we followed them.

"_The Master is back as a woman. Calls herself Missy now. She basically upgraded every dead human body on Earth. Now, all the dead are Cybermen."_

"_But what's this I hear about Clara's boyfriend?"_

She nodded. _"Danny Pink is dead. Clara wants him back. Dad is trying to think up a way to get him back for her."_

I raised my eyebrows. _"So what's stopping him?"_

"_Missy, for now."_

"Where are we going?" Dad asked as we entered the cabin of the plane. It was full of monitors, and the main floor was dominated by a large polished wooden table.

I raised my eyebrows. _"They spared no expense with this thing, did they?"_

"Is this the Cloudbase I've heard so much about?" Jenny asked. "The one where the Master imprisoned you?"

Dad opened his mouth to answer, but Kate beat him to it. "You mean the Valiant?"

"Cloudbase was Thunderbirds," a woman sitting off to the side said. I vaguely recognized her as one of the lab techs that was around during the negotiations between humans and Zygons. Osgood was her name, if I recalled it correctly.

"And no, we aren't on the Valiant. It would have been too conspicuous," Kate explained. "We need your location concealed, not advertised. From now on you're a moving target."

Dad pointed to a portrait of a stern looking man in a decorated uniform. "Ah, I see you're bringing Daddy along, too. That's very sweet."

A soldier came up behind him and snapped into attention. "Sir!"

I raised my eyebrows. _"Don't they know better than to salute?"_

"_You would think," _Mara said.

Dad looked back at him and rolled his eyes. "Oh, don't do that. You look like you're self-concussing, which would explain all of military history, now that I think about it."

Mara and I snickered.

"Colonel Ahmed, sir. Privileged to meet you." He nodded towards Mara and I. "And you're lovely daughters."

"I like this one," I said, "shame you're a soldier."

"Love your outfit, Colonel Ahmed. Don't you just love his little get-up, Jen?" He leaned towards the Colonel. "Trust me, this one knows a good khaki outfit when she sees one."

Ahmed's eyes flicked over to me. "You were in the service, ma'am?"

I bristled. "Briefly, and not by choice."

I felt Mara's eyes on me as Kate walked in. I knew she was curious. I rarely, if ever, mentioned my time on Messaline. I didn't want her to know that part of my past.

"The President is on board," Kate said as she walked towards the conference table.

Dad sat down at the table, and Mara and I joined him. He leaned over to me. "Mind you, you've vastly improved in your fashion choices since Messaline." He paused, and looked up at Kate. "Hang on a second. The President? We don't want Americans bobbing around the place. They'll only start praying."

Ahmed shook his head. "Not the President of America, sir, the President of Earth."

Dad reached out for the sugar lumps that were set out on the table and started heaping them into his coffee. My eyebrows scrunched together. Last I checked, he hated coffee. "There isn't one."

"There is now," Ahmed shot back.

"The incursion protocols have been agreed internationally. In the event of full-scale invasion, an Earth President is inducted immediately, with complete authority over every nation state. There was only one practical candidate."

"Oi!" I shouted. "What are we, then, chopped liver?"

Kate raised her eyebrows at me. "Well, we needed someone with a bit more…experience."

I leaned back and crossed my arms. "Just because my face is young doesn't mean I am, Kate, you should know better than that."

She shifted uncomfortably on her feet. And out of the corner of my eye, I saw my Dad smile. "Regardless, the decision has been made."

Dad scoffed. "That's your answer for everything, isn't it? Vote for an idiot."

"If you say so, Mister President. So long as you're on this plane, you're the Commander in Chief of every army on Earth. Every world leader is currently awaiting your instructions. You are the Chief Executive Officer of the human race." She cocked her head. "Any questions?"

There was a ding over the intercom. "This is your captain speaking. Please prepare for take-off."

Kate pushed herself away from the table. "Now that that's settled, I believe there's an old friend of yours that would like to see you, Doctor."

Dad stared down at his hands for a moment, and then got up with a heavy sigh. "Let's just get this over with."

Mara and I shared a look as we followed Dad and his entourage out of the main cabin of the plane. _"Missy?"_

Mara nodded.

I reached out for her hand and pulled her to my side. _"Stay close to me."_


	34. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33.**

"_The most dangerous people are those that will hurt you and still play the victim."_

_-Uzoma Nnadi_

* * *

_POV: Mara_

_Date: November 8, 2014_

I had only ever known the Master through the horror stories that Jenny used to tell me.

I wasn't sure what I had expected before I first caught sight of the Master—or Missy, as she was now calling herself. If there was one thing I had learned through my years of traveling, it was to never go into any situation with expectations.

Dad stopped a few feet from where Missy was strapped down onto a box trolley. "Why are you still alive?"

She smirked. "You saved me."

"I saved Galleyfray."

She sighed. "Yes, Galleyfray too, I suppose. That's always collateral damage with you and me. It's our Paris." Her eyes flicked to Jenny. "My, my, is this dearest Jenny? Sweetheart, you just look _marvelous_. How long's it been? Two, three centuries? You simply must tell me what moisturizer you're using."

Jenny kept her head high, but I could see her jaw tick. "Wish I could say it's a pleasure to see you again." She cocked her head to the side. "No, that's a lie, I don't."

Missy let out a peal of laughter. "Oh, she got your sass, Doctor. But what about this other one?" She glanced at me, and I felt my whole body go rigid.

I felt it when both Jenny and Dad went into protection mode. They both subtly shifted towards me. "Leave her alone," Dad commanded. "Tell me something. Galleyfray is lost in another dimension...so how are you here?"

She chuckled. "Oh, you're behind a bit there."

"How so?" he asked. "Galleyfray is lost in another dimension, isn't it?"

She sucked in her cheeks. "Well…yes and no."

Dad raised an eyebrow. "Meaning?"

"Yes, it's in another dimension. No, it's not lost."

I felt hope flare up in him then. "You know where it is?"

"Yup! And you know the best part about knowing?" She leaned forward as much as she could in her restraints. "Not telling _you_."

Jenny and I turned when someone entered the cabin. "Mister President, sir, we're ready for you up here," Ahmed said.

"Remember all those years when all you wanted to do was rule the world?" Dad turned around to Ahmed. "On my way." He turned back to Missy. "Piece of cake." He twirled away from the Mistress and sauntered over to where Osgood was working at a computer station. "What are you doing?"

She glanced up, and blushed when she saw the three of us watching her. "Oh, it's her little device thingy. I thought there might be useful information on it." She glanced around us. "Who is she?"

Dad sighed. "You'd never believe me if I told you."

"Really?" Osgood asked. "Cos I thought she might be the Master regenerated into female form? Your childhood friend responsible for a number of previous incursions."

I blinked. "Well. You're quite the expert, aren't you?"

She smiled at me. "We do have files on all of our ex-prime ministers. She wasn't even the worst." She turned back to Dad. "Doctor, there's something nobody's talking about."

He shot a glance back at us. "Which is?"

Osgood straightened up on her stool. "The clouds caused by the exploding Cybermen - they haven't dispersed. They're still there. In fact, they've expanded and are covering almost all the land masses. We're all looking at the graveyards. Maybe we should be looking up? What do you think?"

I saw Dad's eyes light up in a familiar way. "All of time and space?"

Osgood's brow furrowed in confusion. "Sorry?"

I smiled as Jenny and I followed Dad towards the door that led out of the cabin. "Just something for your bucket list."

"_Maybe you and I should start picking up companions," _I said as we reentered the main cabin.

Jenny glanced back at me. _"Maybe."_

Everyone in the main cabin was focused on a monitor that had the latest news report on the screen. "Localized rain in the cemeteries has resulted in what can only be described as disturbances to the soil. Extraordinary eyewitness accounts are claiming that silver creatures are climbing from the graves."

I crossed my arms. "You would think humanity would know a Cyberman when they see one by now."

Dad snorted. "Human ignorance. Never doubt it."

Kate waved towards the monitor. "These scenes are being repeated everywhere. Every cemetery, every mortuary, every funeral home, every hospital. The dead are returning to life as Cybermen."

"The public are being advised to stay away from all cemeteries," the news reporter continued.

Kate muted the report. "We've done heat scans of some of the cemeteries and, in each case, only a handful of Cybermen have so far emerged. But every individual burial site is active."

Ahmed raised his eyebrows. "Active?"

"Hatching," Dad corrected.

"More are coming," Kate continued, "potentially millions."

I looked towards the window, where the clouds were still visible. "So, what, the rain acted as some type of pollen?"

"Cyber-pollen," Dad said with a nod. "Every tiny particle of a Cyberman contains the plans to make another Cyberman. All it has to do is to make contact with compatible living organic matter and bang!" He slapped his hands down on the table. "Full conversion."

"So why convert the dead, then?" Jenny asked. "Why not just convert the living using the same pollen?"

"Well think about it," I said. "The human race always finds a way to outsmart the upgrade. The living do, anyway...but the dead have no way to defend themselves. And, besides. The dead will always outnumber the living."

Dad looked over at a monitor showing Missy, and I felt it when something clicked in his mind. "_Oh_. That's what she was doing. That's what 3W was for. She creates an all-new paranoia among the super-rich about dying. She exploits the wealth and the mortal remains of selected idiots so she can create a whole new race of Cybermen. Cybermen who can recruit corpses. Throw away your guns, fashion-forward Ahmed, it's all over."

Ahmed looked between us with a fearful expression. I swallowed down my own unease. "There has to be a way to stop her."

His eyes slowly turned on me, and he granted me one of his rare proud smiles. "That's my girl. Never say die." He looked over at Kate then. "You heard her - options people! Throw them out, don't be shy! How can you win a war against the dead?"

Kate let out a slow breath. "Where do we even start?"

"Well, what do we know?" Jenny asked. "Apart from the fact that they're rising from the Earth, what are the Cybermen doing?"

Ahmed brought up a video feed from one of the cemeteries. "They're not attacking, apart from isolated incidents. They're just wandering about."

"They're newborns," Dad explained. "Give them time." He turned his attention back on Kate. "Why were you there this morning? Why were you already attacking?"

"Been investigating 3W for a while," she said, "then we got a tip-off."

"From a woman with a Northern accent."

Dad stood up and walked closer to the monitor that had Missy on it. "Can't play to the gallery unless there's a gallery, and here I am."

"What?" Jenny asked.

He stared at Missy for a moment longer before he spun around on his heel. "Dead bodies don't have minds, of course, but she's been upgrading dying minds to a hard drive for a long time. So she upgrades the hardware, and then she updates the software."

"What do you mean, a long time?" Kate asked. "How long?"

"Well she must have a TARDIS somewhere, so as long as she likes. The past, the future—"

"How long, Doctor?"

He shrugged. "How long has the human race had a concept of an afterlife? Turns out the afterlife is real, and it's emptying. Every graveyard on planet Earth is about to burst its banks."

Kate spun on her heel and marched out of the conference room with her phone in hand.

"Maybe we should call—"

"No," Dad cut Jenny off. "We can solve this without her help."

"But—" I started.

"I said no," he said firmly. "If things get much worse, I'll call her, I promise. But until then, let's try to fix this without intervention."

"Mister President, you need to get back in your seat," Kate ordered as she reentered the room.

Dad rolled his eyes. "I don't like being the president. People keep saluting. I'm never going to salute back!" He plucked a Lily from a vase set in front of Kate's Father's picture.

Kate half smiled. "Do you know—that was always Dad's big ambition. To get you to salute him just once."

Dad looked over at the portrait, and I saw a hint of nostalgia cross his face. "He should've asked." He walked over to the window and peered out at the clouds.

"What do you see?" I asked. I knew that look on his face. He was working something out.

"The clouds," he said, "they're still there."

"So?" Jenny asked.

"So, what else have they got besides the rain?"

We all jumped when a Cyberman's face appeared in the porthole. "Oh, dear Lord!" Kate cried out as Dad backed away from the window.

"There's a Cyberman out there on the fuselage. But on the plus side, it's not turbulence," Dad said with a short laugh.

The monitor that had been showing Missy caught my eye, and I gasped. "Dad!" I shouted, and jumped to my feet to point to the monitor.

"She's out. Who let her out?" he demanded.

"What's it doing?" Ahmed asked. His terrified eyes were still locked on the Cyberman. It turned away from the window and shot past it. "Where did it go? What can one Cyberman do to a plane?"

I snorted. "Where there's one Cyberman there's always a hundred more. They're like roaches, Ahmed, do keep up."

Dad started running for the cabin that Missy was being kept in. Jenny and I quickly followed him.

We found him cradling a pair of familiar broken glasses in a pile of dust. I swallowed hard, that could only mean one thing.

"Oh, Osgood," Jenny whispered.

Someone cackled, and the three of us looked up as Missy sauntered out from behind where the TARDIS was parked. "Oh, she was really scared. It was classic." Her lips curled up into a malicious smile. "Jenny, Mara, what'd you say?" She wiggled the remote in her hands. "Wanna play with Auntie Missy?"


	35. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34.**

"_Enemies are never the problem. It's your friends you have to watch out for."_

_-Maisie Williams_

* * *

_POV: Jenny_

_Date: November 8, 2014_

Missy shrieked with laughter as the plane jostled. "Oh, oh! Ask me."

"Shut up!" Dad shouted.

"Ask me! God, he has a temper doesn't he? _Come on_, Doctor, you know you want to. You want to know what my plan is." She bit her lip. "You'll be surprised. I've got a gift for you. You know, I've been up and down your timeline meeting all those silly people who died to keep you alive. And you know what I worked out? What you really need."

"For what?"

Her smile widened to crinkle her eyes, and I shivered. "To know that you're just like me!"

Mara and I nearly jumped a mile high when the TARDIS phone started to ring.

"Oh, and now it begins." Missy winked at the two of us. "Doctor, I do believe you're on call. Miss Oswald expects. Who else but the girl who's got your number? Whoops!" She brought a hand to her mouth, and busted out into cackling laughter. "Computer helpline, love. That's the one. _Best _helpline in the universe!"

"You put us together!"

"I kept you together," Missy retorted. "Cos she's perfect, isn't she? The control freak and the man who should never be controlled. You'd go to hell if she asked. And she _would_. The phone's ringing, Doctor. Can you hear that? Now _that_ is the sound of your chain being yanked. Heel, Doctor!"

"What does she mean, she put you two together?" Mara demanded.

"The day I met Clara. The day I met _this_ Clara, she called me asking for computer help. She said she got my number from a woman in a shop." He nodded towards Missy. "You were the woman, I presume."

Missy cackled. "Oh, don't worry love. You'll catch up. Now answer the phone."

Dad picked up the phone. "Clara?"

"What have you done?" I demanded. "Missy, what have you done?"

She grinned. "Oh, just set things _back_ on track! You're Daddy and Clara; they've got big things to do." She stumbled forward to squish my cheeks. "Oh, I know it doesn't make sense now, but it will. You can count on that one, Dearie."

I broke away from her hold. "Don't touch me."

She slapped me. "Oi, be nice to your auntie."

I heard Dad growl and hang up the phone violently. "Missy! Don't touch her!"

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, so now he's the protective father type?"

It was in this moment that Kate burst in. "Doctor! The Cybermen are in. The plane's going down."

Missy huffed. "Oh, great. It's the daughter one." She glanced at Dad. "Do you like her? I like her." She held up a remote and pressed a button. As soon as she'd pressed it, the whole airplane tilted sharply.

We all tried to grab onto the cargo straps hanging from the roof of the plane. Missy pressed down on another button and the doors to the cargo bay opened.

Kate screamed as she was sucked out into the open air.

"Kate!" Mara and I shrieked.

"Why did you do that?" Dad demanded. "You didn't have to do that!"

Missy tutted. "Oh, don't be so selfish. I'm going to miss her, too. In fact, you know what? Just for that, I'm leaving. Sorry girls, Auntie can only take so much. Boys, blow up this plane and, I don't know, Belgium, yeah? Kill some Belgians. Might as well—they're not even French. Bye!" She squealed, and teleported herself out of the plane.

"Dad, what do we do?" Mara shouted.

"Only thing we can do," he said, and wrapped an arm around each of us. "Jump!"

Mara and I screamed as he yanked the three of us out of the plane and into freefall. Above our heads, I heard the boom of the plane exploding. I felt the heat chasing us at my back, and I squeezed my eyes shut. This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be the end.

"Hang on!" Dad shouted, and yanked my arm around his waist so I'd hang on while he reached into his pocket.

"What are you doing?" Mara shrieked.

"Calling for help!"

I heard her then, calling out through the clouds. My lips pulled up into a smile and I let out a laugh of relief as the TARDIS came hurtling up for us.

"Oh, clever girl!" Mara cried.

Dad pulled out his key. "Hang on tightly!"

* * *

_POV: Rose_

_Date: November 8, 2014_

I could not resist a call when it came.

Needless to say, I was not happy to hear _her_ calling my name, but I could not stop myself from answering. And besides, any chance to be free of my nothingness was a welcomed one. Even if it meant I would have to come face-to-face with an enemy.

"What, Missy?" I grumbled.

She spun around and smiled. "I knew if I shouted loud enough you'd find me."

"What do you want?" I demanded.

"No need to be so testy," she said with a click of her tongue.

Irritation flared, and she took a step back with wide eyes. "You should be more careful when speaking to me, Missy."

She held up a hand. "You're right, you're right. I'm sorry, I just…well, if _anyone_ can get through to the Doctor, it's you."

"Get through to him how?" I asked, and then I felt it. Something was shifting in the timelines. Something that should never come to pass was being set into stone. "What have you done?"

"I just want him back," Missy said. "That's all! I just want him to see how alike we are. I want things to get back on track."

Images entered my head then. Flashes of a timeline that was never supposed to happen. "What have you done?" I roared, and stepped forward to tower over her.

She half stumbled back to get away from me. "Just—just help me get him back. Please." Her eyes were a mixture of fear and begging for my help. "Please, Rose, I just want him back."

I felt my jaw tick and tried to force myself to calm down. "Where is he?"

"Can't you tell?" she asked.

I closed my eyes and focused on our bond. I could feel him. He was with Clara and our girls. He desperately needed my help, although he didn't know it yet.

"Go," I said, and opened my eyes. "Go to him."

She nodded, and scurried away.

I closed my eyes again, and focused on the timelines. There had to be a way that I could stop this from happening. There had to be a way that I could save her and my Doctor from their fate.

"Stop looking," a voice said. "There isn't a way. You won't find one."

I opened my eyes, and came face-to-face with a girl I'd never met before. She was small, but the way she held herself made her seem taller. She had brunette hair that fell in waves at her shoulders, and her eyes were a soft brown. And old. So very old.

"I won't find a way for what?" I asked.

"You can't save them," she told me. "No one can."

I narrowed my eyes as I studied her. She looked familiar somehow. "Do I know you?"

Her lip pulled up into a halfhearted smile. "No. And if we're all very, very lucky, you never will." She lifted her chin. "You'll be able to see that much very soon."

I swallowed hard. "Curse of the Quo?"

"Unfortunately," she said.

I cocked my head. "If I can't save them, then why are you here?"

The woman swallowed. "To warn you. A storm is coming, Bad Wolf, and there is no way to escape it this time."

Her words sent a shiver through me.

She nodded towards the door. "Now go."

"He won't want me there," I said.

Her lip pulled up into a crooked smile. "When has that ever stopped you?"

I snorted. "What's your name?"

She shook her head. "I can't tell you that. You _know_ that I can't tell you that. There's too much at stake."

I narrowed my eyes. "I don't like cryptic people. I have enough of them in my life."

"I should think so," she said with a slight chuckle. "Now you should go save your Doctor."

"Who are you?" I demanded. "I mean, who are you to him?"

She smirked. "Like I said, if we're all very _very _lucky, you'll never find out."

I tried to look into her timeline, but it was so tangled up across the fabric of time and space that I couldn't get a read on her at all. Only one image made it through clearly, and I didn't understand it.

"You own a diner?" I asked.

She chuckled, and turned to leave. "Something like that. Now you should go. Your Doctor needs you."

I cocked my head to the side as I watched her go, and then I closed my eyes and ran for him.


	36. Chapter 35

**Thanks go out to clhpfan12341234567, for your review.**

* * *

**Chapter 35.**

_"It's one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself - to forgive. Forgive Everybody."_

_-Maya Angelou_

* * *

_POV: Rose_

_Date: November 8, 2014_

I showed up the same time the Doctor did.

"Clara, don't!" he shouted as he burst from his TARDIS.

She looked back at him with a tear-stained face. She was standing in front of Danny with his Cyberman chest wide open. "Help me," she said quietly.

"Clara, he could kill you if you do this. He will kill you," I said.

The Doctor's eyes shot to me. "Why are you here?"

I pursed my lips. "I was called."

"Called by whom?" he demanded.

"Finish this later!" Clara shouted. "Help me now."

"Clara, I'm sorry, but if you do what you're trying to do he will snap you." The Doctor held out his hand for her.

"No," Clara said defiantly.

Jenny hesitantly took a step closer to her. "Clara, I'm so so sorry, but they're right. He's gone. Danny Pink is dead."

"I will not harm her," Danny said.

"PE, PE." The Doctor ran a few steps closer.

"Sir," Danny answered.

The Doctor swallowed. "I had a friend once. We ran together when I was little. I thought we were the same. But when we grew up, we weren't. Now, she's trying to tear the world apart, and I can't run fast enough to hold it together. The difference is this." He cautiously placed a hand over the disc in Danny's chest. "The difference is _pain_. Pain is a gift. Without the capacity for pain, we can't feel the hurt we inflict."

Danny stared down at him incredulously. "Are you telling me seriously, for real, that you can?"

"Of course I can," the Doctor said.

"Then shame on you, Doctor," Danny spat.

The Doctor nodded. "Yes. Oh, yes."

We all looked up as the clouds rumbled over our heads. A storm was coming.

The Doctor looked back at Danny. "Danny, Danny, I need you to tell me. What are the clouds going to do? What is the plan?"

"How would I know?" Danny asked.

"You're part of a hive mind now. Presumably that's how you found Clara. Just look."

"I can't see much."

"Look harder," the Doctor ordered.

Danny looked down at Clara. "Clara, watch this. This is who the Doctor is. Watch the blood-soaked old general in action." He turned back to the Doctor. "I can't see properly, _sir_, because this needs activating. If you want to know what's coming, you have to switch it on."

The Doctor's shoulders dropped, and I felt the spark go out of him.

"Mum, can you see?" Jenny asked. "Can you tell us what's going to happen?"

The Doctor spun around with fresh excitement in his face. "Yes! Rose! Jen, you're brilliant! Rose, can't you see what the plan is?"

I swallowed, and my eyes flicked away from him to Clara. I could see something alright, but it wasn't what he was asking for. He was too close to Missy's plan for me to see it properly, but oh, I could see the consequences all too clearly.

"I'm sorry," I said.

Danny huffed. "And didn't all of those beautiful speeches just disappear in the face of a tactical advantage with no other options present? Sir."

The Doctor closed his eyes as he turned back around, and he sighed heavily. "I need to know," he said, and brought his hands up to his mouth. "I need to know."

"Yes," Danny said, "you do."

Clara swallowed hard, and stepped towards the Doctor. "Give me the screwdriver."

He stared at her for a moment. "No."

Clara held out her hand and let out an exasperated sigh. "Just do it, Doctor. Do as you are told."

And there it was. I could feel it in her tone. Clara was already lost. There was no saving her.

But I'd be damned if I didn't try.

The Doctor met Danny's eyes as he numbly handed the screwdriver off to Clara.

"Typical officer. Got to keep those hands clean," Danny scoffed.

"Oi," Mara snapped. "Watch it. That's my dad you're talking about."

"And I'm sorry for you," Danny shot back.

"That's enough," Clara said quietly, and twirled the screwdriver in her hands as the Doctor stepped away. "Just point and think, yeah?"

"Yes."

"Okay," she said, and sucked in a deep breath. She met Danny's eyes. "I wasn't very good at it, but I did love you."

I swore I saw a tear run down Danny's face, though that seemed impossible. "I love you too."

"I'm never going to say that again," Clara said softly.

Danny chuckled. "Me neither."

She stared at him for a moment, before straightening herself up and pulling her shoulders back. "Ready?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

Clara let out a sob. "I feel like I'm killing you."

Danny shook his head. "I'm already dead. You're here this time, at least."

She sucked in a sharp breath. "Goodbye, Danny," she said, and activated the sonic.

Immediately, Danny's face became void of all emotion, and I had to clench a fist to keep myself in place. Old memories tried to fight to the surface, but I swallowed them down. This was no time to be afraid.

Clara turned off the sonic and ran for Danny with her arms stretched out to hug him.

"No!" the four of us shouted.

The Doctor ran after her. "Clara, no! Step away! He's activating! Clara, step away now! Don't." He tried to pry her off, but she wouldn't budge. He looked up at Danny, who hadn't moved since he'd been activated. "Danny. Danny, if you can hear me, if you're still there, what are the clouds going to do?"

"The rain will fall again," Danny said in a computerized voice. "All humanity will die."

"So they can be upgraded," Mara said.

"Correct," Danny affirmed.

"How do we save them?" Jenny demanded.

"We cannot be stopped."

Our eyes shot towards the sky at the sound of cackling laughter. I took a step closer to my girls. It was Missy, descending slowly on a black umbrella.

She landed, and let out another shriek of laughter. "Oh, that was _brilliant_! Oh, I love the telly here, but did you see _that_?" She glanced at Clara, and pushed her lips out into a pout. "Oh, Clara, you poor thing. You must feel like death." She held up a remote. "Let me pop away the pain."

She started to tap on her remote, but was stopped by the Doctor grabbing and hurling it away from her. "Don't you dare!" he snarled. "Don't you think about it!"

Missy gasped. "Oh, sorry, hon, I'm just getting a bit carried away. It's your friends, they're so…more-ish. Hm?" She grinned back at me and waved a hand. "Oh, the missus came, lovely."

I saw Clara snatch up Missy's remote before returning to Danny's side. I glared at Missy. "Get on with this."

She huffed indignantly. "Oh, stop looking all cross-pants, the lot of you. I'm here to give you—and your _dear_ little family here—a gift. Could you at least try and be excited?"

The Doctor's posture was rigid as he stared her down. "What gift?"

Missy smiled, and pulled up a bracelet. "Cyberdears!" she called into the bracelet. "Look at Mummy!"

My eyes widened as all of the Cybermen in the graveyard stopped what they were doing and turned to Missy. "That can't be good," I said.

"Raise your arms," Missy commanded, and the Cybermen obeyed. "Lower your arms. Raise your right. Lower your right. Turn on the spot." She chuckled when they followed every command. "There are exits at the front and rear of the aircraft. Please follow the lights up the aisle." She lowered the bracelet. "You see, Doctor? The power to slaughter whole worlds at a time, then make them do a safety briefing. Everyone who ever lived—man, woman, and child; is now at my command."

The Doctor looked around in horror as the pieces started falling into place. If I still had a body, I knew I would be sick to my stomach.

"An indestructible army to rage across the universe," Missy continued. "The more they kill, the more they recruit. But that's not all." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a necklace. "I believe this is the _key_ to Rose's little incorporeal problem."

My eyes widened when I recognized the jewel at the end. A crystal from a tiny planet called Melos Crystallum.

"Where…" The Doctor hesitantly reached out for the necklace. "Where did you find this?"

"Does it matter?" Missy asked, and then her face broke out into a deranged smile. "Happy birthday!"

The Doctor stared at her blankly.

"Oh!" She squeaked. "You didn't know, did you? It's lucky one of us remembers these things. Though, I will say, I'm surprised none of your supposed "_family_" remembered." She glanced back at the three of us. "Shame on the lot of you."

"Missy—"

"Happy birthday, Mister President!" she cried out in an imitation of Marilyn Monroe before locking the bracelet around the Doctor's wrist, looping the necklace over his head, and backing away to curtsy.

"Well," I said, "She certainly did set the bar high for gifts, didn't she?"


	37. Chapter 36

**This is it, folks. The final stretch. I only have three more chapters to post after this one. I'll also be posting an epilogue that will effectively wrap up the series as a whole. That still feels so weird to say...but here we are. Huge thank you's go out to everyone who's stuck with me up until this point. I know this story has been a bit long, but we're nearly at the end, I promise. :)**

* * *

**Chapter 36.**

_"Don't worry that children never listen to you; worry that they are always watching you."_

_-Robert Fulghum_

* * *

_POV: Mara_

_Date: November 8, 2014_

I couldn't believe my eyes.

"Doctor," the Cybermen said in unison, and bowed their heads to him.

Missy grinned, and leaned against Dad's shoulder. "Tiny bit pleased?" She smacked him in the chest when he didn't react. "Oh, go on, crack a smile. I just gave you an army of infinite power and the key to your wife's prison. It's the least you could do."

Dad stared down at the jewel around his neck, and looked up at Mum. They stared at each other for a moment before he broke the gaze to look around at the Cybermen in bewilderment. "All of this. All of it just to give me…an army?"

Missy pushed herself away from him. "Well, I don't need one, do I? Armies are for people who think they're right. And nobody thinks they're righter than you. Give a good man firepower, and he'll never run out of people to kill." She pointed to Mum's crystal. "But it wasn't _just_ to give you an army, if you recall."

Dad reached down to wrap his fingers around the crystal, but kept his eyes on Missy. "I don't want an army!"

She sighed. "Well, that's the trouble! Yes, you do! You've always wanted one!" She spun around with her hands extended. "All those people suffering in the Dalek camps? Now you can save them. All those bad guys winning all the wars? Go and get the good guys back!" She pointed to the crystal again. "With your wife at full power by your side there's nothing the two of you couldn't do." She looked at Mum with a wicked smile. "I see why you chose her now. She's so like _you_." She giggled to herself, and then turned her eyes back on Dad. "Not a bad deal, ay?"

Dad shook his head. "Nobody can have that power."

"Which power?" Missy asked. "The power an army can give?" She glanced around him then to point at Mum. "Or hers?"

"Yes," Dad said.

She scoffed. "Well, you will, because you don't have a choice. There's only one way you can stop these clouds from opening up and killing all your little pets down here. Conquer the universe, Mister President." She went into a curtsy again. "Show a bad girl how it's done."

Dad ripped the bracelet off his wrist and threw it to the ground. "Why are you doing this?"

Her face turned pleading. "I need you to know we're not so different. I need my friend back." Missy waved towards the Cybermen. "Every battle, every war, every invasion. From now on, you decide the outcome." She looked up at him with raised eyebrows. "What's the matter, Mister President? Don't you trust yourself?"

Dad stared at her for a moment, and pulled in a breath. I felt it. The moment something shifted inside of him. All that anger he'd just been directing at Missy abruptly vanished to be replaced by...gratitude?

"Thank you," he said. "Thank you so much." He leaned forward to kiss Missy's cheek.

My eyes widened. What was he thinking? I felt his gratitude and his anger give way to mania. That was almost a never good sign with him.

He started running around in circles. "I really didn't know. I wasn't sure. You lose sight sometimes. Thank you!"

"You weren't sure about what?" Jenny asked.

He paused in his running, and stood up tall. "I am _not _a good man!"

My hearts stopped.

He held up a finger. "I am not a bad man. I am not a hero, and I'm _definitely _not a president." He turned to Danny. "And no, I'm not an officer." He ran over to Jenny and I. "Do you know what I am?"

My sister and I shared a look. "Frustratingly cryptic?"

He laughed. "Oh, Jen, no. I am…an idiot!" He smiled widely.

I blinked. "What?"

He laughed, and threw his arms out wide. "An idiot! With a box and a screwdriver. Just passing through, helping out, _learning_." He spun around to face Missy. "I don't need an army. I never have, because I've got them." He waved a hand towards Clara and Danny. "And now, I've got them, too." He waved another hand towards Jenny, Mum, and I. "Because love, it's not an emotion." He paused in his rant, and looked over at Mum. "Love is a promise."

I saw her smile at him softly, and at the other side of the graveyard plot we were standing on, I saw Danny wrap his arms around Clara.

Dad pointed to the two of them. "It's how I know he will _never_ hurt her. PE, catch!" he shouted, and threw the bracelet to Danny, who caught it with ease. Dad turned back to Missy. "You didn't notice, did you? While you were doing all your silly orders, while you were showing off, you didn't notice the one soldier not obeying."

Missy's eyes widened and she shook her head. "No, that's wrong. That's impossible."

I laughed. "Well, Clara is the impossible girl. It's no wonder she'd attract impossible people."

"Quiet you," Missy hissed at me.

"Watch your tone," Dad scolded. "That's my daughter you're speaking to. Not to mention her mum can turn you to dust."

Mum crossed her arms. "He makes a good point."

Danny put on the control bracelet before letting go of Clara to walk towards Missy. "The rain will not fall."

Missy raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Why won't it?"

"The clouds will burn," Danny said simply.

"And who'll burn them?"

"I will burn them."

Missy crossed her arms and cocked her head. "How?"

"I will burn," Danny said.

Missy let out a snort. "One burning Cyberman is hardly going to save the planet, dear."

"Correct," Danny said, and pulled the bracelet up to his face. "Attention!"

All around us, every Cyberman snapped to attention.

"This is not a good day," Danny said. "This is Earth's darkest hour. And look at you miserable lot! We are the Fallen. But today, we shall rise! The army of the dead will save the land of the living. This is not the order of a general, nor the whim of a lunatic."

"Excuse me?" Missy crossed her arms defensively.

"This is a promise," Danny continued. "The promise of a soldier!" He lowered the bracelet and looked back at Clara. "You will sleep safe tonight," he promised, and ignited the rockets in his boots. He rose from the ground as all around, the Cybermen copied him.

We all watched as thousands of Cybermen shot into the clouds. And then, with a mighty boom, they exploded.

I squeezed my eyes shut as the fire shot across the sky. There was a moment where I could feel the blazing heat, and then the clouds cleared, and I felt a gentler warmth on my face.

I opened my eyes, and stared up into a sunny sky.

"Well," Clara said, and sniffed. "The clouds have all gone."

"Yes," Dad said, "burned up. Totally burnt. Burnt to nothing."

I elbowed him in the ribs. "Rude."

"Sorry," he said.

"Ten zero eleven, zero, zero by zero two."

Dad blinked, and looked over at Missy. "What did you say?"

She looked at him with defeat on her face. "The current coordinates of Galleyfray. It's returned to its original location. Didn't you ever think to look?"

I felt that anger pour out of him again. "You are lying!" he shouted.

She ran forward to claw at him with desperation in her eyes. "We can - we can go together. Just you and me. Or the family, too, I don't mind. So long as it's us, together, just like the old days."

Dad looked at her from down his nose. "You'd be clapped in irons."

She nodded. "If you like."

Clara stepped closer and held up Missy's remote. "Doctor, I'm assuming you'll remember those coordinates?"

"Clara, no!" Jenny shouted.

"No," Dad said, and put himself between Clara and Missy. "Don't you dare. I won't let you."

"Old friend, is she?" Clara asked. "If you have ever let this creature live, everything that happened today, is on you. All of it; on _you_. And you're not going to let her live again."

"Clara, all I'm doing is not letting you kill her. I never said I was letting her live."

My hearts stopped. No. That couldn't be right. Dad wasn't a killer, not for anything.

Clara raised her eyebrows. "Really?"

He held out his hand for the remote. "If that's the only thing that will stop you. Yes."

She searched his face for a moment before handing over the remote. "Fine."

"Seriously?" Missy rolled her eyes. "Oh, Doctor. To save her soul? But who says she can still be saved? And who, my dear, will save yours?"

"I will." Mum stepped up to Dad's side. "That's my job, isn't it? Always has been."

Missy sighed heavily. "Oh darling, but how long can you keep doing it? Aren't you exhausted by now? Saving his sorry arse day in and day out. I know it'd drive me bonkers." She giggled. "Although, one could say I went mad long ago."

Dad held up the remote then.

She sucked in a sharp breath. "Oh…say something nice. Please?"

"You win," he said.

Her lips curled up into that smirk she was fond of. "I know."

"Don't!" I shouted, but it was too late. Dad had pressed down on the button, and Missy vaporized. I brought a hand up to my mouth in shock. I didn't think he was still capable of killing. I'd thought that maybe, after losing Jen and I the last time, that he'd learned something.

It looked as though I was wrong about that.


	38. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37.**

"_Pain and loss, they define us as much as happiness or love…"_

_-Elisabeth Sladen_

* * *

_POV: Rose_

_Date: November 8, 2014 _

I looked up from my place at the console as the Doctor came back into the TARDIS.

"How was she?" I asked.

He refused to look at me as he put us back into flight. "She has a long way to go."

I so badly wanted to tell him about what I'd just seen. I wanted to warn him somehow, about the consequences of this day. I wanted to force him to promise me that he would never go back for Clara. That this would be their final goodbye. But I couldn't. Their timelines were too tangled up at this point. They were destined for where they were heading. The most I could do was be there for the Doctor when the day finally came.

_"A storm is coming, Bad Wolf, and this time there is no way to escape it."_

The message that woman had given me still sent a shiver through me. None of those words had ever preceded anything good.

But despite everything, I kept my mouth shut, and nodded. "I would imagine." I watched as he walked around the console flipping switches and turning knobs. "Doctor…"

"No," he said.

I crossed my arms. "You didn't even hear what I had to say."

"Yes I did." He tapped his temple. "No, we're not going to use the crystal."

"But—"

"No, Rose." He stopped his movements to look up at me. "We don't know what could happen. You said the seers burned your body when they trapped you, yeah? What if, when you're freed, you don't become corporeal? What if you just…dissipate?" He shook his head. "I'm not taking that chance."

"Don't I have a say in this?"

"No," he said.

I crossed my arms. "And why not?"

"Because I said so."

"You're not the ultimate authority on this TARDIS."

"I'm old enough to be."

I snorted. "Don't try to play that card with me, Doctor. I'm older than you."

He half smiled. "And isn't that ironic?"

We lapsed into a tense silence for a moment.

I finally sighed and stepped closer to him. "Please, Doctor," I said. "I can't stay this way forever. I can't be trapped here. I can't watch you and our daughters wither and die while I remain unchanged. I can't."

"You don't know that you would age if you were corporeal," the Doctor countered.

"I may have been aging slowly, but I was aging," I shot back. "You know your own planet's history. You know the Quo were not immortal."

"Rose…" He sighed, and finally met my eyes. "How can you ask me to risk losing you? Please...just - just let me take you to Karn. Let me speak with the Sisterhood. Let me gather all of the facts before making a decision."

I stiffened. "How could you even _think_ of taking me there?" I hissed. "They're the ones who did this to me, Doctor. Can you imagine what they would do if they found out I was still alive?"

"They wouldn't be able to take you away," he growled, and gripped the console so tightly I could see the whites of his knuckles. "I wouldn't allow that."

I stared at him for a moment. I could feel all of that rage and hatred rising to the surface. He was barely in control. "My Doctor," I whispered, and focused all of my energy into one hand so I could reach out to pull his hand away from the console. "You may not have a choice."

He refused to look at me, and I was suddenly reminded of the message I had given to my younger self so long ago.

_"He's not going to want to save you."_

I swallowed. I had thought my last chance was when the crack appeared on Trenzalore. Who could have foreseen this?

I snorted at that thought, and squeezed his hand before I let him go. "Where to now?"

His lip pulled up into a half smile. "Thought we might verify coordinates ten zero eleven. Zero, zero by zero two."

"Galleyfray."

He nodded, and pulled down on the lever that would start the flight sequence.

I held my breath as the TARDIS' motor started up. I wasn't sure what I would do if he opened the doors and Galleyfray was really there. What would the Time Lords do if they found me? A weapon of great power they could use to take revenge on their enemies. They never could resist the lure of power. I knew that better than anyone. The Time Lords, so high and mighty in their great citadel. Sworn never to interfere. Not unless something didn't go as planned in their little universe.

The Doctor glanced at the doors as the ship stabilized. "Shall we?"

"You look," I said. "I'll wait here."

He nodded, and turned to run towards the doors. I continued to hold my breath as he slowly reached down to grab onto the handles.

He opened the doors wide, and I cried out in pain. I had been hit by a large pulse of time energy. It raced across the cosmos to infiltrate my mind with images of a timeline I could not allow. Not for anything.

I squeezed my eyes shut as images of burning planets filled my head. I could hear the screams of billions dying in a war that would end all wars. That would end all universes. Every universe was in danger of this great power, and the source?

In the middle of the chaos I could see two beings standing alone in a wasteland on a planet with an orange sky. They looked to the sky as the stars burned around them with their hands intertwined. I could not see their faces, but I knew them. One was a man, a tall slim man in a dark suit with wild grey curls of hair. The other figure was a woman with a mess of blonde hair and tattered clothing.

"Why?" I shouted at them. "Why are you doing this?"

I gasped when the images shifted. The planet spun backwards, and the stars above grew brighter and brighter as time flew back to the beginning of the chaos.

What I saw then, had I been corporeal, would have made my blood turn to ice.

For many eons now I had not doubted the cruelty of the Time Lords. I knew full well how ruthless they could be. Especially when someone stood in the way of something they desired. I had, however, assumed even they had limits. That there were deeds even they would not commit.

I was unprepared for the scene before me.

It was that same wasteland. In the distance I could see the gleaming city, but out here there was only the sloping hills of desert sand and one, singular structure. A barn. One that was all too familiar.

In front of the barn there was a crowd, and in front of that crowd, stood the Doctor. As I stood facing him, I was at first confused. What could make him look so furious?

I turned then, and my eyes widened. Behind me stood a man dressed in the traditional robes of the High Council. I recognized him. He was older than when we'd last met, and judging by the markings on his robes he was the Lord President.

My jaw set. It was Rassilon. The young boy I had met in the village outside of the White Wall who so long ago had been brave and kind. In the centuries that followed, he proved to be the worst being I ever fell under the control of. He used me, after promising he would seal me away forever, he used me to do unspeakable things. Rassilon the Cruel—that was what I once called him.

Despite the threat he posed, however, I still didn't see why this timeline had called out to me. I glanced around Rassilon, and froze.

Behind him stood Mara and Jenny, and behind them stood a line of soldiers with their weapons trained on my girls.

"Aim!" the President shouted. "Fire!"

"No!" I screeched.

Relief filled my still heart when each soldier pointed their weapons in the air and shot straight up. I let out a shaky puff of breath, and closed my eyes. I thanked whatever or whomever was listening for sparing my girls.

But I still didn't understand why I was here.

I opened my eyes then, and froze. Rassilon's guard had walked over to join the Doctor. Jenny and Mara were just about to do the same, when the Lord President did something not even I could see coming.

He snarled. "Cowards!" he shouted, and lunged forward to scoop up a gun and aim for my girls.

"Don't you dare!" the Doctor roared.

Rassilon glanced back at him. "Whatever do I have to lose?" he asked, and fired.

I came back into my body with a shriek. "No!" I spun away from the console. "No!"

"Rose!" I heard the Doctor shout as sparks blew up from the TARDIS. "Rose, what is it?"

For a moment, I allowed anger to consume me. I could see it all so clearly—my revenge. I would find the Time Lords and I would tear them to pieces, but I wouldn't stop there. Oh no, I couldn't. Because it wasn't fair. There was only one way to stop this timeline from happening. I could see it so clearly in my mind. There had never been another path for me; my fate had been sealed long ago.

The 5th of July, 2008. The day the planets moved. The day I was finally fully reunited with my Doctor. Somehow, the universe had made a mistake.

I don't know why I hadn't seen it before. Or maybe I had, but I had willfully remained blind to it. My story was supposed to end long ago. On a dismal beach called Darlig Ulf Stranden with a man who was, but wasn't _quite_ my Doctor.

Somehow, the universe had made a mistake. It had allowed me to continue long after I was supposed to be gone. I hadn't known it, but I'd been living on borrowed time.

And now, the universe had decided that time was up.

There was only one way I could save my daughters, my Doctor, and myself. Only one way I could abort this timeline that was so strong and clear in my mind. Only one way I could save the whole bloody universe.

I looked up to the ceiling of the TARDIS. "That's not fair." I was owed so much better than this. And I wanted so badly to take my revenge on the universe for it's cruel sense of humor.

But I wouldn't. Of course I wouldn't. That small piece of humanity that was left inside of me would never allow me to.

"Rose!" the Doctor shouted, and my eyes shot to his face. "What isn't fair?"

I felt the anger start to fade from my fingertips, and in its place I felt fear. Not my fear - his. He was afraid of me. Of what I would do next.

I wanted to laugh at the irony of it all. When had we switched positions? When had I become the lonely, ancient, angry creature with no end to my miserable life in sight and he the mortal man I would inevitably lose? Moreover, why had the universe decided that now was when I would lose him?

I knew I didn't technically have a heart, but I could feel it breaking for him. Because he wasn't just going to lose me if we wanted to save our girls. He was going to lose us all, and that would break him completely. I knew it would. He loved us more than anything, I couldn't possibly doubt that. Not when I could feel it pour out of him with ever beat of his hearts.

I swallowed hard. What was the universe trying to prove? That everything ends? I didn't need this lesson to know that.

I let out a shaky breath and held out my hand to him. "See for yourself."

He hesitated, but took my hand. He closed his eyes and I copied his example. I allowed the images of what I had just seen flood my mind in vivid color.

I felt it when his anger matched my own.

He dropped my hand, and leaned back. "How could I have not seen this?"

"You're not a Quo," I answered. "You don't have the same curse."

"Too much foresight," he grumbled. "There's a reason the Time Lords never allowed anyone to see too much of their own personal future."

I crossed my arms. "You must free me."

"No," he said.

"Doctor, you _must_," I said from between my teeth. "Or this timeline _will_ happen. There's nothing we can do to change that."

He stared at me for a long time. "Rose…" He barely said my name louder than a whisper.

I half smiled, but it was a bitter response. "I know." I jerked my head towards the TARDIS' rotor. "Call the girls. There's a storm coming."


	39. Chapter 38

**Hello folks! This, sadly, is the beginning of the last week for updates. I've decided to post chapter 39 and the epilogue together, so you'll have this update today and two on Saturday and then the story will be over.**

* * *

**Chapter 38.**

"_Everything has its time. Everything ends."_

_-Elisabeth Sladen_

* * *

_POV: Jenny_

_Date: December 7, 2015_

I was sitting in the park I used to take Mara to when I felt it. Something in the universe had just shifted. There was a storm coming.

"Jenny?"

I looked up as a boy approached me. I would recognize him anywhere. "Nathan."

He smiled at me tentatively. "It's good to see you." He glanced around the park. "Is, ah…is Mara with you?"

My chest tightened. He was still so young. If I remembered correctly, it had only been four years for him since Mara had broken his heart. "No, she's not here."

He swallowed, and I saw a flash of disappointment cross his face. "Right…" His eyes roved the pavement for a moment before finally coming back to my face. "Can I…can I ask how long…?"

I tutted. "Never ask a lady her age, Nathan." I smiled at him for a moment before I sighed heavily. "Much longer than it's been for you."

He shifted on his feet and put his hands in his pockets. "How long?"

"Nathan—"

"I need to know, Jenny."

I stared at his determined features for a moment. "She's not coming back."

"Why not?" he demanded.

I uncrossed my arms and stood up from my bench. "Nathan, she's already seen you die. You've been dead to her for a long, _long_ time."

He blinked, and took a step back. "She saw me die?"

I pressed my lips into a hard line; I shouldn't encourage him to wait for her. "She skipped ahead to say goodbye."

Nathan sucked in a deep breath of air. "Right."

I heard it then. The call. _"Come quickly."_

I gave Nathan a sympathetic smile, and reached out to squeeze his arm. "Live a wonderful life, Nathan. For her."

He met my eyes then, and straightened up. "Right."

I patted his arm, and turned to leave.

"Will I see you again?" he asked.

I glanced over my shoulder, and shrugged. "Who knows? I'm a time traveler."

"Right," he said.

I grinned, and turned to my vortex manipulator. I inputted the right coordinates, and hurled myself into the vortex.

* * *

_POV: Mara_

_Date: July 25, 2012_

I knew what I was doing was completely reckless and dangerous, but those were never things that had deterred me and they certainly wouldn't now.

I could see her at the other end of the street. She was looking for him. If I remembered the story correctly, Mum had just saved Dad from being stuck as a two-dimensional drawing, and Dad had just saved the Olympic Torch Ceremony.

"Excuse me," a voice said.

I turned around, and froze. My eyes were met by a pair of soft brown irises. My hearts squeezed painfully, and I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

Dad cocked his head to the side. "Are you alright?"

I blinked to shake off my surprise, and nodded. "Yeah, sorry."

He gave me a wary look. "Have you seen a blond girl? Yellow shirt, jean jacket, responds to the name Rose?"

I turned and pointed to where Mum was standing. "That her?"

Dad grinned. "Yes! Thank you…?"

"Mara," I said.

"Mara." He gave me his brightest smile. "Lovely name. Thank you, Mara."

I nodded, and watched him go. I smiled to myself as Mum leaned back her head in laughter. They were both so young.

I turned to leave, and that's when it hit me. A wave of energy so forceful in nearly knocked me off my feet. I let out a gasp as my head swam, and stumbled a bit.

"Whoa there." I felt a hand steady my shoulder. "You had a bit much, love?"

I blinked, and shrugged him off. "I'm fine." I didn't look back as I walked back down the street.

I stopped when I was far enough away and looked up at the sky. Something in the universe had just shifted. Something huge. It sent a shiver down my spine and left a bad taste in my mouth.

Far away, I could see clouds on the horizon.

I swallowed. A storm was coming.

"_Mara."_

I froze. _"Yes?"_

"_Come quickly."_

I nodded, and inputted coordinates into my vortex manipulator.

* * *

_POV: Rose_

_Date: November 8, 2014_

I shivered when the Doctor set my box down on the floor of the console room. "Are they coming?"

"They'll be here soon," he said.

As if on cue, both Jenny and Mara appeared in the room.

"Mum, Dad, what's going on?" Jenny demanded.

"Something big just shifted," Mara continued. "What's happening?"

The Doctor and I exchanged a look, and I sighed. "Girls, you may want to sit down."

They glanced at each other, and Jenny shook her head. "Just tell us, Mum. Whatever it is, we can fix it."

"Not this," the Doctor muttered.

Our girls stared at us then. Their eyes took in the slouch of our shoulders and the defeat on our faces, and they both crossed their arms.

"What have you two done?" Jenny demanded.

The Doctor swallowed. "It's not what we _have _done—"

"It's what we're _going_ to do," I said, "if this timeline isn't averted."

Mara stepped closer to me then. "Did you see something?" She paused, and noticed the box for the first time. She narrowed her eyes. "What is _that_ doing here?"

Jenny cocked her head, and walked over to Mara's side so she could peer around the console. Her eyes widened, and shot to the Doctor. "You're not thinking…?"

The Doctor's jaw ticked and I felt that rage flare up again. "I'm afraid so."

She shook her head. "No. No, we don't know what will happen!" She looked to me. "Mum, you can't seriously be going through with this?"

I stood. "I'm the one who suggested it."

Mara's eyes flicked between the three of us and the box, and then she shook her head again. "No. Mum, you could _die_."

I swallowed. "I know, love, but there's no other way to fix the timeline."

"What's wrong with the timeline?" Jenny demanded. "What could you have possibly seen that would lead you to this?"

The Doctor and I shared a look. _"Tell them,"_ he said.

I closed my eyes to center myself, and took in a breath. "You die," I said.

Jenny shifted on her feet, and stared at me with shock in her eyes. "What?"

"Both of you," I said. "On Galleyfray. To force your father's hand, a man kills you both and it sends your Dad and I into a spiral."

"The universe burns," the Doctor finished.

Their faces molded into identical looks of shock. They stood frozen as the minutes ticked by.

Mara was the first to break the silence. "Are you…" she croaked, and cleared her throat. "What do we do? How do we fix it?"

"There's only one way," the Doctor said, and held up my crystal. "I free your mum. That way, no one can control her power ever again. Then…Rose?"

"Girls…" I slowly walked over to them. "Do you remember the story I once told you about the day the Earth moved? The day I reentered this universe?"

"You can't be suggesting what I think you're suggesting," Jenny said.

"It's the only way to protect you both and your dad," I said, and glanced back at the Doctor. "We're his greatest weakness. We can't be here when he finds Galleyfray. It will make him too vulnerable, and us targets."

"So we hide!" Mara shouted. "We run, and we hide, and we wait until—"

"Until _when_, Mara?" the Doctor asked. "Hm? And hide where? Because once the Time Lords are back there won't be anywhere you can hide that they won't find you. And no matter how long you run they will never stop looking. My girls…" He sighed, and I saw all of his years come forward to his face. "I never want that life for you."

"This is the only way," I said quietly. "Once Dad releases me, he'll take—hopefully all three of us—back in time to the moment the breach was open and hide us on the other side."

"And then?" Mara croaked.

I swallowed hard and tried to keep myself together. I had to be strong for them. I had to protect my girls. "Then he'll close it up. For good this time."

"But if it closes..." Jenny looked to her father. "Will we ever see you again?"

I felt my Doctor's hearts breaking. "Oh, Jen," he whispered, and shook his head. "You can't."

The four of us were quiet for a long time.

"Well," Jenny rasped, "at least this way we get to meet Gran, Mara."


	40. Chapter 39

**Sadly, this is the last official chapter. I'll post an epilogue, and that'll be it.**

**For those who are wondering why Clara doesn't get to say goodbye - she does. I didn't include her goodbye within this story because I wanted to do it in her perspective, and I couldn't find a way of fitting it in that I was satisfied with. So for those who want to see Clara's proper sendoff to the Tylers, I've posted a one shot titled "the Big Goodbye". It fits in between the end of chapter 38 and chapter 39, which is why the date changes from Nov 4, 2014 to July 5, 2015 in this chapter.**

**Enjoy**

* * *

**Chapter 39.**

"_Maybe you were the ocean, when I was just a stone."_

_-Ben Howard_

* * *

_POV: Rose_

_Date: July 5, 2015_

"Okay," I whispered, and looked up to the Doctor. "Ready?"

He let out a bitter laugh. "Never."

I smiled at him, and walked forward. I focused on my hand, and reached out to take his. "Promise me something."

He squeezed my fingers. "Anything."

"When this is over. When we're gone…don't be alone. Always make sure you've got a hand to hold."

He chuckled darkly. "Oh, Rose…" He shook his head at me. "You should know better than to ask me to make promises I can't always keep."

I half smiled. "Won't stop me."

He glanced down at his shoes, and then over my shoulder. "Rose…"

"Hey," I whispered, and gave him my tongue-in-teeth smile. "How long are you going to stay with me?"

The Doctor gave me a proper smile, then. And I saw a familiar, warm light in his eyes. "Forever."

I nodded. "Quite right."

"It was the best, you know," he said in a low tone. "Traveling with you. It was absolutely...fantastic."

I winked. "The stuff of legend."

I stepped back then, and he held up the crystal. "Stand back, girls."

"Mum," Mara whispered as Jenny pulled her away to stand back behind the Doctor. Her eyes were filled with tears, and that broke my heart. "Please don't do this."

"My sweet Mara," I said. "Even if I die, it will be okay. Because I'll always be with you, yeah?"

She sniffed, but nodded. "Yeah."

I locked eyes with Jenny then. She blinked away her tears and gave me a small nod.

I nodded back before I looked to my Doctor again. "Okay," I said. "I'm ready."

"Thank you," the Doctor said quietly as he hovered my crystal over my box.

I raised my eyebrows. "For what?"

He smirked. "You already know what."

My lips pulled into one last smile then, and I nodded.

He brushed his free hand over my box then, and a small indentation appeared. If I had a stomach, I knew it would be in knots as he ever so slowly but surely lowered my crystal into the box.

I closed my eyes. I felt the exact moment when the key entered the lock, and I sucked in a deep breath of air. I let out a laugh of pure elation, I could feel it—air in my lungs, blood in my veins, and my heart beating. My heart, which had been still for so long, now pounded out a violent rhythm against my chest.

I opened my eyes and smiled. For the first time in a long time, I was whole.

The three of them mirrored my expression. I locked eyes with the Doctor, and he began to laugh with me. I was free!

And then I felt it.

I knew they could feel it too—rushing, tearing, _running_ through the cosmos to catch me. A relentless force I knew I wouldn't be able to escape. Not now. I'd stopped running.

The moment was coming.

"I love you," I said breathlessly.

The Doctor's eyes widened as golden flame started to wrap around my fingertips and lap its way up my arms. "Rose—"

I shook my head at him, and let out another peal of laughter. "Run!"

I closed my eyes as the flames consumed me.

The moment was here.

* * *

_POV: Jenny_

_Date: July 5, 2008_

"Mum!" Mara shouted and ran to our mum's side.

I stayed frozen in place. What had just happened? It had looked like Mum had regenerated, but that was impossible. And her face…her face was the same.

For one, awful moment, I thought she could be dead.

"She's alive!" Mara cried out with a laugh of relief. "She's alive!"

Dad seemed suspended in place for a moment before he ran to the console. "Right, we have a very narrow window of opportunity to pull this off. Jen, can you man that side of the console?"

I stayed frozen.

"Jenny Lynn, answer me!" Dad shouted.

I shook myself and ran for the console. "Dad, what happened to her?"

"There was a story I was told long ago," Dad said as he ran around the TARDIS' rotor. "An old legend used to tuck children in at night. The story told of a woman who fell in love with an impossible man. One day, the man was dying, so the woman sacrificed herself to save him. She opened the vortex and took all of time into herself to protect him from an angry horde of terrible creatures. Because the universe needed him to save it. And in return for her sacrifice, time vowed to one day save her."

"So, what?" I demanded as the TARDIS started to shake. "She's the woman?"

He gave me his best unhinged smile. "And I'm the impossible man. Told you we were the stuff of legend, didn't I?"

We landed with a hollow thud.

Dad stepped back from the console, and walked over to where Mum was still laid out on the ground. His smile softened as he looked down on her peaceful face before he turned to scoop up her crystal from the box. "Come on," he said, and looped the necklace over her head before he swooped low to pick her up. "We've got a legend to save."

Mara and I looked at each other with wide eyes before we stood to follow him. I paused before I passed the console, and laid a hand on the TARDIS. She hummed sadly, and I smiled up at her.

"I'll miss you too, old girl," I said quietly. "Keep a seat warm for me, ay?"

She hummed again, and I patted the console before I continued towards the doors.

"Rose!" I heard an unfamiliar voice shout. "Oh, what have you done to her? Get away from her!"

The two of us cautiously stepped out of the TARDIS onto a grey beach. A few feet away I saw a woman with blonde hair and blue eyes running across the sand to get to Dad.

"It's alright, Jackie," he said. "She's just unconscious. She'll be fine."

Mara and I stepped up to his sides protectively as Jackie—Gran—stopped in her tracks. She stared at Dad with wide eyes. "Oh yeah, and how do I know I can trust you? Who are you?"

"He's me."

I felt a lump rise in my throat. Behind Jackie, a familiar man in a blue suit and red converse started to walk in our direction. "Or at least, he's _him_."

Gran's eyes widened as far as they could go. "What? But we just saw you!"

"Time travel, Gran," Mara said.

"Gran?" She looked between Mara and I. "You're not…" Her eyes shot back to Dad. "Just how far into the future are you?"

I saw a smile grace Dad's lips. "Depends on which one of us you ask." He started to walk towards the Metacrisis. "I have something for you."

The other man stared at him with disbelief. "But she chose you."

Dad swallowed. "Something has happened. There was a shift in the timeline. This was the only way I could save her." He glanced back at Mara and I. "And our girls."

I reached out for Mara's hand.

"Listen to me, matchstick man, and listen good. I'm leaving them in your care. Do you understand what that means? It's your duty to look after them." He leveled his most menacing glare at the Metacrisis. "And know that if you fail them, I will rain down on you like fire."

The other man nodded, and held his arms out.

Dad looked down at Mum for a moment before he leaned down to gently kiss her forehead. His eyes softened when her eyelids fluttered. "Be better for her than I ever was. Promise me that."

The Metacrisis swallowed. "I'll do my best."

Reluctantly, Dad passed Mum into his arms, and stepped back. He turned and walked back over to Mara and I.

"Dad," I said, "your bond with Mum. Will it withstand this?"

"If she's lucky?" He shook his head. "No, it won't. And neither will our network."

Mara dropped my hand as her eyes filled with tears. "Dad…"

"Hey," he whispered. "Chin up. How many people can say they get to experience a second lifetime with their parents?"

She shook her head. "He's not _you_."

He sighed, and all the hard lines in his face melted away. "Oh, Cricket." He pulled her in for a hug. "I'm sorry."

My sister clung to him for a moment. "How can you ask me to say goodbye?" she murmured into his chest.

"Because it isn't goodbye," Dad said, and reached up to tap her temple. "I'll always be here in your memories. All you have to do is close your eyes and call for me, and I'll come."

She sniffed, and leaned up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek.

He kissed her forehead before he stepped away from her. "Be good. Stay out of trouble."

She snorted. "I'm a Tyler."

"So you are," he said with a chuckle. "Try, regardless."

Mara nodded, and he finally turned to face me.

"Dad…"

He reached out and pulled me close. I wrapped my arms around his waist and breathed in as much of his peppermint scent as I could.

He leaned in close to my ear. "Never stop running."

We parted, and I smiled up at him. "Love the running."

"Laugh at everything," he continued, "because it's always funny." He pointed at Mara. "Never be cruel." Then he pointed to me. "And never be cowardly. And if you ever are, always make amends."

I swallowed down the lump that had formed in my throat, and nodded. "We'll do that."

Dad smiled until I could see the wrinkles in his eyes, and leaned in to drop a kiss on my forehead.

The TARDIS groaned then, and he stepped away. I held his hand as long as I could as he backed away towards the ship. "Oh, and there is one more thing."

I let a short puff of air, and shrugged. "Isn't there always?"

"Catch," he said, and tossed a small canvas bag towards me.

I caught it, and glanced inside. My eyes widened. "You want us to grow a TARDIS? But you said they don't work here, and growing one takes _centuries_."

He smiled at me. "It won't take centuries, I promise. And she'll work—you girls are too clever for her not to."

I shook my head at him. "You're such a nutter."

"The nuttiest," he agreed, and opened the TARDIS door. He paused, and glanced back at us. "I must confess...I don't want to go."

Mara took my free hand. "You always say that."

I gave him an imitation of Mum's tongue-in-teeth smile. "Fly away, Doctor. We'll be fine."

"Take good care of Clara," Mara said.

He nodded, and briefly glanced behind us to look at Mum. "When she wakes, tell her...tell her..." I saw a flash of something unreadable in his eyes, and a slight smile crept onto his face. "Oh, she knows," he said; before he nodded to himself, turned, and closed the door.

Mara and I kept our eyes on the TARDIS as she groaned to life and started to dematerialize. She sang out to us, and I felt Mara's grip on my hand tighten as the song slowly began to fade.

And then it was gone, and he was gone, and we were alone in this new world.


	41. Epilogue

**Many thanks go out to JuLLia and jackjenfan for your reviews on chapter 38.**

**I also want to extend a huge thank you to everyone who has read, favorited, and reviewed this story of mine. Especially those of you who have followed this series since _Across Dimensions_. Way back when I had no idea what I was doing. You guys are amazing, and your continuous dedication and enthusiasm for this series has been a joy to experience. :) **

**Sadly, this will be the end of this series. Bittersweet, but necessary, I think. The story is over. I've said all I wanted to say. And although I'm always reluctant to let any story go, I know it's time to put these characters to bed. **

**I hope you've all enjoyed the _Dimensions _series as much as I've enjoyed writing it. Please enjoy this final installment.**

* * *

**Epilogue.**

"_Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and I,_

_I took the one less traveled by,_

_And that has made all the difference."_

_**-Robert Frost**_

* * *

_POV: Mara_

In the end, Dad was telling the truth. The new TARDIS only took us a year and a half to grow, and we figured out a way to keep her working. We just tweaked her genetics a bit so she was compatible with the energy of this universe.

Mum recovered quickly, and it didn't take her long to get adjusted to this universe. She'd lived here before.

As soon as the new TARDIS was fully grown, Mum and John were off to see the stars. Three years after they'd left, they called Jen and I back to Earth for their wedding. They were married properly for almost sixty-five years before their deaths. Gran had been so excited on their wedding day. She'd spent the whole time telling anyone who would listen that she'd known all along those two would end up together.

Although John and I became close, I never could see him as my dad. He was a lot like Dad, but there were differences. Anyone who hadn't known Dad well would never have suspected that John was a different man; but Mum, Jen, and I could tell.

Overtime, the four of us were able to develop a low-level telepathic network. John was only part Time Lord, and had lost most of his telepathic abilities. Mum was no longer Quo—when the TARDIS had reached out to save her from the moment she had reverted Mum's genetics back to their original form, which was human. And while humans did have low-level telepathic abilities, Mum was never able to develop them to the level they'd been in the other universe. Her crystal did help, but even its power was limited. Only Jenny and I were able to maintain a strong telepathic connection, and even then we weren't able to communicate over vast distances like we had been in the other universe.

Dad had been right about Mum's bond to him and our old family network—it couldn't stretch across two universes. But every once in a while, when the walls between the universes were thin enough, the three of us would receive images from his life. Flashes of adventures would flicker behind my eyelids, and for a fleeting moment I could feel his presence. During the first couple of years in this new universe, I lived for these brief moments. They were often the only thing that would keep me going throughout the day.

That first year after Dad left us here felt like the world had ended. Adjusting to life without him had been the hardest thing I ever had to do. And for the first year of our lives here in Pete's World, I stayed on Earth. I didn't see the point in traveling the stars anymore.

But it was like Dad had once said, "Times change, and so must I." And so, I forced myself to move on. I worked with Jen at Torchwood for a few years, and eventually, I healed my hearts enough to see the point in traveling. I left Earth, and I never looked back.

* * *

_POV: Jenny_

Our family was scattered now.

I had always hoped that one day; Mara, Mum, Dad, and I would be together again. I had hoped we would travel the stars together. Running just because we could and laughing at whatever tried to stop us. But that dream was gone.

In the years that followed our arrival here on Pete's world, the family I still had slowly grew apart. Mara and I spent the first few years together on Earth. First growing the new TARDIS, and then working together in Torchwood. But my sister had always had a restless streak in her, and soon she left for the stars.

I had known when she left that she wouldn't ever be coming back. Not to stay, at least. This place was too painful for her. She couldn't bear to see John and Mum together, or me, or anything on Earth that reminded her of where we were. It was all just a reminder that we would never see Dad again, and Mara couldn't handle that.

I was better at adjusting to our new life, but not by much.

After helping Mum recover and traveling with her and John in the new TARDIS for a while, I returned to Earth to work for Torchwood. As much as I loved running, Earth needed a defender, and I knew Mum would never be able to fill that role again. At least, not by staying on the planet, and Earth needed someone that could be here.

I quickly rose through the ranks of Torchwood to become the youngest Ambassador they would ever have. Within the span of three years, I came to hold the title of "Official Ambassador to all races not of Earth-origin". I was incredibly proud of this accomplishment.

I made a life for myself on Earth. I settled myself down in a home—a proper house with carpets and windows and a door—and started a family. I knew I was going back on the promise I had made to Dad to never stop running, but I had no reason to run anymore. And besides, I was going to live a long time compared to the family I had here on Earth. Running could wait until they were gone.

Out of the three of us, Mum and I were the only ones who had a strong relationship with my Uncle Toby, Gran, and Pete. Mara was never around long enough to foster a close relationship with any of them. And although part of me was angry with her for that, I never said anything to her about it. It wasn't my place.

Although Dad had been right about what would happen to our family's telepathic network, the four of us were able to keep up a low level network of our own. Mum's crystal helped foster that ability. And Mara and I, being Time Lords, were able to retain most of our telepathic skills, which further aided us in our efforts to defend the Earth. At times, this was the only thing that kept our small family from disconnecting completely.

Every once in a while, I could feel Dad come through. The walls between the universes ran in cycles. And whenever they were thin enough, Dad would send the three of us brief visual messages. Within the first few years we spent here, I relied on these images a lot to keep myself from spiraling into grief.

As the years wore on, the images started coming less and less, until they stopped altogether. When that happened, Mara had shown up at my doorstep in the TARDIS. I'd made her tea and the two of us had sat at my kitchen table for hours reminiscing over old times. This was long after Mum and John were dead. Long after my grandchildren had grandchildren of their own.

It was also the day I started running again.

We could only assume the messages had stopped coming for one reason: Dad was dead. And that thought was enough to drive me back into the TARDIS. Because now I had a reason to run again.

And I knew one day I would have to stop. I was a Time Lord, but I wouldn't live forever. One day my regenerations would run out, and I would die. But until then, I would keep my eyes on the stars and my hearts on Earth, and I would soak up as much of the universe as I could.

Dad had once said we're all stories in the end, so make yours a good one.

I was going to make sure the story of Jenny Tyler would be the best one ever told.

* * *

_POV: Rose_

This is the final story I will ever tell.

For the first nineteen years of my life, nothing happened. Nothing at all. Not ever. I was a shop girl with no A-levels, no ambition, and no future. And at the time, I thought that's all my life would ever amount to. And then I met a man called the Doctor. A man who could change his face, and he took me away from home in his magical machine. He showed me the whole of time and space. I thought it would never end.

And for a long time, that thought proved true. No matter what the universe did to split us up it never could. Not even Torchwood and its army of ghosts could separate us for long. In the end, I always found my way back to him. No matter what. And for a time, it seemed like nothing would stand in our way. Not even death itself.

But then came the Time Lords. Then came the outraged cry _No more,_ and then came the War. And that's when the end began.

This is the story of how I died.

Now I know what you're thinking. You're thinking this story is going to be sad. And it is. It's a glorious, tragic end to a story that spanned over the course of an eon.

But it's the most beautiful story I'll ever tell.

The first time I woke up back in Pete's World, I was in a hospital bed attached to a dozen different machines and surrounded by a crowd of familiar faces. And all those faces shifted from the same intensely worried look to relief when my eyes fluttered open and I sucked in a breath of air.

The first thing I did when I woke up in Pete's world was laugh. Because I could feel it. I could feel the air expand my lungs, and the texture of the fabric that made up the sheet I was covered in, and every beat of my heart against my chest, and every single sore spot along my body. I laughed, because even the feeling of physical pain was a sign that I was free.

And then I sobbed. I curled up in a ball in my sheet and I cried into my pillow. Because he was gone. I could feel it. That spot in my mind where our bond should be was cold, and lifeless, and _empty_. He was truly gone. And for the first time in an eon, I was truly alone in my mind.

That first week in this universe was complete hell.

For the first couple of days, I was completely unresponsive to anyone and anything around me. I was aware of the people who came to visit me. I knew when Mum was in the room, or when Jen or Mara came, and I knew they spoke to me, but I couldn't find it within myself to respond to their efforts. It was like I was watching the world go by through a television screen with no way to respond to any of it.

The thing that finally brought me out of my catatonic state was an image.

I had been half listening to the Metacrisis and Jenny talking to each other when it hit me. For the first time since the walls of the universe had closed, the bond I had shared with the Doctor sparked to life. It was only alive for the briefest of moments, but within those precious few seconds I received a flood of emotions and one image. It was of his hand—his left hand, and on that hand I saw his wedding band still on his ring finger.

With this image came a message. It was faint, but I could hear him. It was like the first time I had been trapped here when he'd called for me. It was as though he was whispering in my ear.

"_Forever,"_ he said.

"Forever," I whispered back.

Jen and the Metacrisis' eyes both shot up to my face, and they quickly rushed to my side.

After that day, I slowly began to recover. Within a week, I was able to leave hospital. Within a month, I was working with Mara and Jen to grow the new TARDIS the Doctor had left us. Within a year and a half, I was traveling again with the Metacrisis—John.

It was explained to me by my daughters what had happened when the Doctor had finally freed me from my box. I had begun to burn, but the TARDIS had reached out to save me one last time. She'd wiped away all traces of my Quo heritage and the Bad Wolf, and left me as what I'd always wanted to be. Human. Simply, gloriously, human.

I hoped the old girl knew just how grateful I was. I was no longer cursed with foresight or a lifespan that would far surpass those of my loved ones'. I could be free, instead of weighed down by the turn of the universe. I could simply enjoy it again.

It took a while for John and I to become close. Although I had accepted the fact that I would never see my Doctor ever again, it took me a long while to let him go. We had shared centuries of marriage, after all.

After the new TARDIS was fully grown, John and I took off to see the stars. Mara and Jen stayed with us through the first couple of adventures. But after that, they both went back to Earth. I knew it was painful for them to see another man with their dad's face. John may have been like the Doctor, but he wasn't the Doctor. At least, not the one we'd known. He was his own man.

Jenny went back to Earth to serve with Torchwood. Within her first two years back on the planet, she rose in the ranks and became Torchwood's official Alien Ambassador. I couldn't have been more proud of her.

Mara worked with Jenny at Torchwood for a short while, but she'd always had too much of me and her dad in her. She couldn't stay still for long. She was out traveling the stars again. I knew, had the Doctor been here, he would have been unsurprised.

Most days I was able to function. However, the nightmares of my life in the other universe and the last time I'd been in this one still came for me. Most of my nights I would wander the TARDIS halls for as long as I could so I would be too exhausted to dream. When I did dream, images of burning planets and screaming voices and white walls would play out behind my eyelids, and I would wake screaming and clawing at the blankets to try to escape these horrors. Or I would wake frozen, eyes wide and body rigid, and I would be unable to move for hours on end.

Whenever this happened, John would roll over, wrap his arms around me, and whisper in my ear. It didn't matter what he whispered about. More often than not he would make up stories to tell me until I calmed down and my body relaxed.

When the nightmares would come for him, I would roll over and do the same. I'd wrap my arms around his waist and whisper in his ear until he could return to sleep. And because of this, we developed a bond of our own making. One that wasn't quite so literal as the one I'd shared with my Doctor, but felt truer and more right than nearly anything I'd ever experienced. And for the first time in an eon, I fell in love all over again.

These days we were both running. Running from our past lives, running from the nightmares, running just for the sake of it. We filled our days with adventure. The Doctor—or John, as he usually preferred to be called—and Rose Tyler, holding hands as we crossed the universe. Traveling the stars together in the TARDIS and laughing in the face of whatever dangers crossed our paths. The stuff of Legend.

And it won't be forever. Not by a long shot. He's human now, and so am I, and one day we'll both be too old to run anymore. Our time together is finite now. But that's okay. I've already had forever. And this is far better than that.

In all my long years, I never thought I'd come to see the beauty in endings. But ours will be. Ours is. It's brief, in comparison to all things, and it's inevitable, and it's sad.

But it's the most beautiful story I've ever told.

And it's the last story I ever will.

_Fin._


End file.
